Joel Embiid's triple-double keeps Philadelphia perfect against Milwaukee

How Joel Embiid's triple-double decided Philadelphia vs Milwaukee

Joel Embiid decided this game with a triple-double: 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 36 minutes as Philadelphia beat Milwaukee 127-116. His PIR of 27 was the best mark of the night.

The Sixers won by 11 at home and stayed unbeaten at 3-0. Embiid sat at the centre of an attack that scored at least 30 points in every quarter, opening with 34 in the first.

He did not need a three-pointer to control the night. His line shows a player who scored inside, earned fouls and kept finding teammates.

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How did Embiid build 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists?

Embiid built his scoring at the free-throw line and inside the arc, going 12/14 on free throws and 8/17 on two-pointers. He went 0/3 from three-point range.

The free throws were the steady part of his game. They kept points coming when his outside shot was not falling, and kept the Bucks defence under pressure for 36 minutes.

The 10 assists were the other half of the story. His passing found shooters in form, with Edgecombe making 5/10 from three and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 4/6. The cost was 4 turnovers, set against 1 steal.

Who else scored for the Sixers, and how did the Bucks respond?

Embiid had strong support: Jaylen Brown scored 27, Tyrese Maxey 26 and V.J. Edgecombe 17 with 13 rebounds. Caldwell-Pope added 12 off the bench with 3 steals and no turnovers.

Brown's 27 sat close to his 28.4 points per game across 78 games in 2025/2026. By TeamKeys Rating he ranked 19th of 260 rated players that season, with Maxey 13th and Edgecombe 32nd.

Milwaukee won the second quarter 35-30 to stay in touch. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led them with 21, Kel'el Ware had 19 and 13 rebounds off the bench, and Kyle Kuzma posted 14 and 12. Philadelphia answered by taking the third quarter 33-27.

Philadelphia 3-0, Milwaukee 0-3: standings and next games

Philadelphia are 3-0 and sixth of 30 in the standings after three straight wins. Their next game is against the Detroit Pistons on 25 October.

Toronto, Portland, Minnesota and the LA Lakers fill the top four at 2-0. Milwaukee are 0-3 and 27th, and face the Indiana Pacers on 27 October still looking for a first win.