Joel Embiid's triple-double keeps the 76ers unbeaten with LeBron James out

Joel Embiid had 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 on Saturday night to stay unbeaten with LeBron James out. Jaylen Brown scored 27 on his 30th birthday, and Philadelphia is 3-0.

James sat to manage lower back pain in the first game of a back-to-back, and the Associated Press reported he was expected to play Sunday at home against Detroit. Coach Nick Nurse said before the game that James had not expressed any pain or discomfort with his back. Dean Wade started in his place and scored seven points in his first game of the season after missing two games with an ankle injury. James, 41, averaged 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his first two games with the Sixers.

Embiid went 8 for 20 from the field and 12 of 14 at the line. The triple-double came late. Brown hit a 3-pointer off Embiid's pass for a 120-114 lead, which was also the center's 10th assist, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope followed with a 3 off a turnover to make it a nine-point game and end Milwaukee's push, per the AP. Caldwell-Pope finished with 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting from deep.

Tyrese Maxey scored 26 and hit a 46-footer at the end of the first quarter and a fadeaway to end the third. VJ Edgecombe had 17 points and 13 rebounds and made five 3-pointers. The Sixers went 19 for 44 from 3-point range and committed 11 turnovers to Milwaukee's 22.

Milwaukee won the inside game, 58-26 in the paint, and outrebounded Philadelphia 62-40. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bucks with 21 points, Kel'el Ware had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Myles Turner went scoreless in 20 minutes. Tyler Herro scored 13.

Labaron Philon Jr., the Sixers' first-round pick out of Alabama, made his NBA debut. The AP noted he was drafted to be at least a rotation player before Philadelphia traded for Brown and signed James.

The win follows Thursday's home opener, when the Sixers came back from 29 points down to beat Cleveland, the biggest comeback win for any of James' teams across his 24 seasons, per the AP. Saturday was a quieter night, and it still ended with Philadelphia at 3-0.

Philadelphia hosts Detroit on Sunday. Milwaukee, still looking for its first win, hosts Indiana on Monday.