Joel Embiid's triple-double leads LeBron-less Sixers to win over Bucks

The Sixers didn't need LeBron James to keep their undefeated start alive Saturday night, as Joel Embiid's 28-point triple-double powered Philadelphia to a 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Playing the first half of a back-to-back without James, the Sixers overcame a potential trap game while showing encouraging signs of budding chemistry.

Here’s what stood out.

Sixers ride with Embiid and die without him

Without LeBron in the lineup, the Sixers largely returned to running their offense through Joel Embiid and looked well on their way to a blowout. Philadelphia racked up a quick 10-1 advantage as the classic Maxey/Embiid two-man action led to a Dean Wade corner three to open the game. Embiid also flashed another fake DHO that earned him a basket against the Cavs and a trip to the line against the Bucks.

It's a new wrinkle that the former MVP appears to be soft-launching and has been effective in his improved condition, albeit with a small sample size.

Embiid scored eight of the Sixers' first 18 points and recorded four first-quarter assists, checking out with a 25-18 lead, which Philadelphia largely maintained, finishing the quarter up 34-25.

That lead quickly evaporated in the second without Embiid, as the Bucks ripped off nine straight points to open the quarter. Milwaukee eventually built a three-point lead before Embiid checked back in.

Books can, and might yet be, written about the drastic on-off difference between the Sixers with and without Joel Embiid on the court. That disparity is well documented and remains a major issue three games into the season.

During the stretch without Embiid, Adem Bona made several notably questionable decisions, including insisting on keeping the ball in transition, turning what should have been an easy basket into an easy block for Kel'el Ware. He followed that with two identical fouls after failing to prevent his man from gaining the advantage along the baseline.

The Sixers came into this season with questionable depth, and the situation has only become more dire since. Ariel Hukporti, who was brought in to compete against Adem Bona for the backup center position — and was notably a better theoretical fit — tore his Achilles less than five minutes into his first preseason game.

Bona missed not only that same preseason game but all of training camp and the preseason with a foot sprain suffered while playing for the Turkish national team in the offseason. That absence could explain some of his struggles, but his deficiencies are well documented at this point. He simply has not progressed enough in his development and understanding of the game to show notable improvement.

Jabari Walker, Dean Wade and even LeBron James have seen time at center in acknowledgment of the team’s depth issues, but they cannot adequately account for the need the Sixers will have throughout the season, particularly Sunday, as Embiid will sit against the Detroit Pistons. Nick Nurse needs to find a way to maximize the lineups around whoever is attempting to replace Embiid to make up for the sheer lack of center depth.

In this matchup, the Sixers were eventually able to lean on Embiid again, as he quickly made his way to the line and Philadelphia pushed back, regaining the lead before halftime.

MORE: 3 realistic expectations for Joel Embiid this season

The Sixers' offense is a (promising) work in progress

This game was a helpful reminder that the two-man action between Maxey and Embiid remains a lethal option, particularly against less experienced teams like the Bucks. The chemistry between the two is beyond smooth, an obvious effect of their familiarity — Maxey has already played the second-most games alongside Embiid, trailing only Tobias Harris.

Embiid still has to develop more chemistry with his other fellow stars, and nights like this, when he plays but LeBron sits, are perfect opportunities for Embiid to build that chemistry with Jaylen Brown. The pair closed out the first half together, working on building their familiarity, particularly in the pick-and-roll.

Integrating Brown into the offense will inherently be a difficult but worthwhile experiment. His offensive skill set is not a perfect fit alongside Embiid and James in particular, but his play in transition has been largely positive, helping to bridge the current half-court connective gaps.

The trio of Brown, Embiid and Maxey powered the Sixers through the third, matching the 27 points scored by the Bucks on their own en route to Philadelphia’s third straight third-quarter win before a total team effort in the fourth sealed their third straight victory to begin the season.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dean Wade both played crucial roles down the stretch, with Wade serving as the de facto center, allowing Embiid roughly two minutes of rest in the fourth before returning to close out the game.

Final thoughts

• VJ Edgecombe's performance is a great reminder that +/- is a particularly flawed stat without context. He finished at -11 on the night, but that was largely a result of the team's horrendous start to the second quarter, when they were -12 before Embiid checked back in. His transition defense was problematic at times, as it was for the majority of the team, but he was also largely effective as a shooter, knocking down five of 10 shots from three while pulling down 13 rebounds and adding a pair of blocks. Side note: Edgecombe is noticeably getting a bit beat up physically this season. After taking an inadvertent elbow to the nose from LeBron on Thursday night, he took a knee to the groin in the first and then disappeared to the locker room for most of the third. Sunday's injury report will be telling, but he did return in the fourth and made a strong impact, which bodes well.
• Wade’s Sixers debut was undoubtedly a success. He only scored seven points, but on just three shots from the floor. More importantly, he was an impactful defender, racking up three steals and a block while providing Nick Nurse with a serviceable short-term option at center in the second half. There would be negatives, but giving Wade more run at the five is looking like the best option for Nurse, at least until Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall return to the court.
• KCP is doing his best to convince everyone that his struggles over the past two seasons were situational and not a reflection of his current ability. Finishing with 12 points, all threes, and three steals, he’s been the most impactful player off the bench through three games for the Sixers and seems to have plenty left in the tank for the season.
• Labaron Philon made his NBA debut in this game, and while a four-minute run isn’t quite enough to make a sweeping declaration, he was certifiably himself. If he only manages these short stints, which wouldn’t be odd for a rookie, he’ll likely ebb and flow offensively based on whether or not his shot falls, but the aggression he played with in this game shows he will undoubtedly take a shot when given the opportunity and play with plenty of heart on the other end.

Up next for the Sixers

The Sixers are turning right around for the second half of their back-to-back as the Detroit Pistons (2-0) come to town. Embiid is expected to sit, though he redirected that question to the medical staff when asked, so it will be interesting to see what direction Nurse goes in considering that absence. Working in Philadelphia’s favor, Pistons starting center Jalen Duren (hamstring) will miss the game, meaning that former Sixer Paul Reed will likely get the start.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25.

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