Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview & Game Thread: David vs. Goliath?

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 27: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Ryan Rollins #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 27, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bucks 139-122. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s SEGABABA time for the first time in 2026-27! Yes, the day after playing their home opener, the Milwaukee Bucks travel to Pennsylvania to take on LeBron James and the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers. Yesterday, the Bucks lost a close one to the Chicago Bulls in a showing that offered plenty of promise, but also raised some red flags—namely, point of attack defence and ball security. Tonight, against a much tougher opponent, can the Bucks step up and win one for the little guys?

The Task Ahead

These aren’t your father’s 76ers—and they certainly aren’t the 76ers of recent years either. No, after acquiring five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown and 22-time All-Star LeBron James to pair with seven-time All-Star Joel Embiid and two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, these 76ers are quite legitimately an All-Star lineup. Next to them in the starting lineup is 2025-26 All-Rookie team selection VJ Edgecombe. Yeah, these guys are stacked. But as history has shown over and over again—see the Durant/Harden/Irving Nets, the Kobe/Gasol/Howard/Nash Lakers, and the Shaq/Kobe/Malone/Payton Lakers—putting a troupe of All-Stars together doesn’t automatically mean they’ll run away with the league. So, are these 76ers any good?

Thus far, the answer is yes. The 76ers are undefeated in the young season, beating the reigning-champion New York Knicks 106-100 on Opening Night and the Eastern Conference-finalist Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106 on Friday. And they’ve been doing it while shooting poorly. Over the two contests, Philadelphia is shooting just 44% from the field and a paltry 27% from deep, but all that star power has helped them get to the free throw line a whopping 28.5 times per game (a number that would’ve ranked first in the league last year). Milwaukee’s task is to therefore defend without fouling. They struggled with this against the Washington Wizards, conceding 41 attempts, with Anthony Davis and Trae Young combining for 30 of those. While the Bulls don’t present star power akin to those two—and certainly not compared to the 76ers—2025-26 All-Star Norman Powell did have seven first-half free throws on his way to nine for the game yesterday and the Bulls took 30 altogether.

Injury Report

Bucks:

• Not yet submitted.

76ers:

• LeBron James: Questionable (old low back/sciatica)
• Dominick Barlow: Out (low back stress reaction)
• Tacko Fall: Out (left quadriceps strain)
• Ariel Hukporti: Out (right Achilles tendon rupture)

Player to Watch

Despite being the fourth-biggest name on his own squad, Tyrese Maxey is quickly emerging as the 76ers’ best player. It’s fitting too, dude is grease lightning. A blur across the hardwood and even quicker with the trigger, Maxey has gotten off to a blistering start this season, averaging 30.0 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 2.5 SPG thus far. What’s more, he’s averaging 15.0 PPG in the paint. With the Bucks struggling defensively at the point of attack and at the rim, giving up 65.0 PPG in the paint so far, don’t be surprised if Maxey ups those numbers in this one. Ryan Rollins, what ya got?

Projected StartersBucksPosition76ersRyan RollinsPGTyrese MaxeyTyler HerroSGVJ EdgecombeJaime Jaquez Jr.SFJaylen BrownKyle KuzmaPFLeBron JamesMyles TurnerCJoel EmbiidGame Details

Who: Milwaukee Bucks (0-2) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (2-0).

When: 6:30 p.m. CDT.

Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena—Philadelphia, PA.

Watch: MY24.

Listen: Check local listings.

Prescient Prediction

Brayden Burries earns an extended run and gets to the paint—and the line—often in this one on his way to 18 points off the bench.