Joel Embiid Triple-Double Keeps 76ers Perfect With LeBron James Out

Joel Embiid delivered his 10th career triple-double Saturday night, finishing with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 to improve to 3-0. Philadelphia did it without LeBron James, who sat for lower-back pain management on the first night of a back-to-back.

Embiid went 12-for-14 from the free-throw line and completed the triple-double with an assist on Jaylen Brown’s late three-pointer. Brown scored 27 points on his 30th birthday, Tyrese Maxey added 26 and rookie VJ Edgecombe produced 17 points and 13 rebounds while knocking down five threes. Philadelphia broke an 82-82 tie with a 15-5 third-quarter run, then answered when Milwaukee cut the margin to three late.

The bigger takeaway is Philadelphia’s ability to win in different ways during its unbeaten start. The Sixers opened by beating defending champion New York, erased a 29-point deficit against Cleveland and now handled Milwaukee without James. Embiid’s playmaking was especially important Saturday: instead of needing another huge scoring night, he controlled the game as a passer and helped Philadelphia generate the late shots that finally put Milwaukee away.