PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 22: Tyrese Maxey #0 and LeBron James #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers react during the fourth quarter of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on October 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvani
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia 76ers' star-studded lineup has already proven that no early-game deficit is too large to overcome. Now, they are hoping for a much more comfortable victory when they host the winless Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
Philadelphia (2-0) opened its season with a gritty 106-100 victory in New York on Tuesday, spoiling the Knicks' banner ceremony after trailing by 10 points. On Thursday, the Sixers staged an epic rally during their home opener, erasing a 29-point first-half deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers to win 114-106.
The starting five
By the numbers:
The efficacy of Philadelphia's newly assembled, powerhouse starting lineup has been on full display.
Tyrese Maxey has led the offensive charge, following up a 28-point performance against the Knicks with a 32-point effort against Cleveland. Maxey, who averaged a career-high 28.3 points last season, is currently averaging 30 points per game.
"He's been very impressive," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. "Coming into this year, he seemed to take a level of confidence and maturity jump. He feels so sure of what he can do, which is a big step."
File Photo.
Thursday's comeback was fueled by balanced contributions across the board. Joel Embiid added 24 points, Jaylen Brown contributed 21, and LeBron James tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds.
"We all played basketball. We play at a high level. Everybody had their moment," Embiid said following Thursday's win. "'Rese had his moments, JB had his moments, 'Bron had his moments, and I had my moments."
For James, his highly anticipated debut in front of the Philadelphia home crowd lived up to the hype.
LeBron James Mural in Fishtown, Philadelphia (Photo: Tyler Thrasher/FOX 29 | Artists: Chuck Styles and Liam McWilliams)
"It was everything I dreamed of and more," James said. "Got the boos, that was amazing, and we deserved it, and then we got the cheers. We almost blew the roof off this thing tonight, in a good way. It was a hell of a night."
Injury management
Big picture view:
It remains to be seen if all the stars will suit up on Saturday.
Embiid has stated he will only play in one of Philadelphia's two weekend games, though the team has not specified which one. James is also listed as questionable on the injury report for lower back and sciatica management, meaning the Sixers could opt to rest him. If either sits, even more offensive responsibility will fall on Maxey and Brown.
Scouting the Bucks
The other side:
Milwaukee (0-2) arrives in Philadelphia still searching for its first victory and its new identity.
The Bucks are navigating the post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era after trading the superstar to the Miami Heat in July. The new-look roster, which acquired Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez in the blockbuster deal, has struggled defensively, surrendering an average of 130 points per game in losses to the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls.
Herro scored 34 points in Friday's loss to Chicago, while Jaquez added 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
"Just defensively, we've got to be a lot better," Jaquez said. "We're actually putting a lot of points on the board, which is a positive for us. But we've just got to understand defensively what it'll take to win."
The Source: This article was written using information gathered from NBA and ESPN reporting.