Philadelphia 76ers 127, Milwaukee Bucks 116: threes and turnovers beat the paint

The Philadelphia 76ers lost the paint 58-26 and the glass 62-40 and still beat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Three numbers explain it. Philadelphia made 19 threes to Milwaukee's 11, made 28 free throws to 21, and turned the ball over 11 times against the Bucks' 22.

That is a 24-point edge from beyond the arc and seven more at the line. It was enough to cover for a night when the Sixers shot 41 percent from the field.

Joel Embiid finished with a triple-double: 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Jaylen Brown added 27 and Tyrese Maxey 26. The win moved Philadelphia to 3-0 at the time and dropped Milwaukee to 0-3.

How it was won

The first quarter set the terms. Philadelphia scored 34 to Milwaukee's 25 and built a nine-point cushion.

The Bucks answered in the second, winning the quarter 35-30 to cut the halftime gap to 64-60. Milwaukee led by as many as seven at one stage, its largest lead of the night.

The third quarter is where Philadelphia pulled away for good. A 33-27 period pushed the lead to 97-87 entering the fourth. The Sixers' largest lead reached 16. Milwaukee won the fourth 29-30 in reverse, scoring 29 to Philadelphia's 30, which was not enough to make the final minutes uncomfortable.

The shooting split tells the story of two styles. Milwaukee went 42-of-90 (47 percent) and lived inside, with 58 points in the paint. Philadelphia went 40-of-98 (41 percent) but took 44 threes and made 19 of them. Maxey hit 4 of 9 from deep and Brown 3 of 6.

Ball security decided the margin. Milwaukee's 22 turnovers gave Philadelphia extra possessions that offset the rebounding deficit. The Sixers also moved the ball better, with 26 assists to 20, and Embiid's 10 led the way.

For Milwaukee, Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 21 with 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Kel'el Ware had 19 points and 13 rebounds. Ryan Rollins added 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Against the number

Philadelphia closed at -12.5 and won by 11, so Milwaukee covered. The Bucks' second quarter and a 29-point fourth kept the margin just inside the line.

The total closed at 234.5 and the teams combined for 243, so the over cashed by 8.5 points. Both teams scoring 116 or more did the work.

On the moneyline, the Sixers at -650 paid as expected. Milwaukee at +470 never threatened after the first half.

Prices and the closing market for this one remain on the game page.

What's next

Philadelphia has played since. The Sixers lost 106-93 at home to the Detroit Pistons, their first defeat of the season, and now sit at 3-1. Their other wins came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 114-106, and at the New York Knicks, 106-100.

Next up is a road game at the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, October 28, on ESPN and DAZN IND. After a 93-point night against Detroit, the question is whether the three-point volume that carried them against Milwaukee returns.

Milwaukee left Philadelphia at 0-3. The Bucks' next opponent was not included in the information available here. On this evidence, the inside game is there. The turnovers are what need fixing.