MILWAUKEE — The Philadelphia 76ers earned a solid win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, 116-101. The Sixers led the short-handed Bucks by as many as 26 and were in the driver’s seat throughout the night. Milwaukee did its best to try and make it a game, but without Giannis Antetokounmpo to lean on, it was tough to do so.
Paul George had 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists for the Sixers, Jabari Walker hopped off the bench and poured in 18 points, while Quentin Grimes had 22 points and five assists, and Tyrese Maxey had 12 points, four assists, and four steals. VJ Edgecombe had 10 points, Adem Bona had 10 and five rebounds, and Jared McCain had eight points, six rebounds, and four assists.
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Here are the three biggest takeaways following the win:
A professional win
Dec 5, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Following a near disaster in their collapse against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, the Sixers found themselves in a similar position on the second night of a back-to-back against the Bucks. Philadelphia held a 26-point lead and Milwaukee whittled it down to nine in the fourth on a Bobby Portis 3-pointer. Instead of wilting, the Sixers responded and surged to win this one by double digits. It was a nice response for this group and something for them to hang their hat on following what happened against the Warriors.
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“I mean, tonight, it’s the NBA, so, like, that was a professional win,” Maxey said after the win. “We still won by double digits. We had to play a little bit at the end, but that’s fine, but last night was unacceptable. We all know that was unacceptable, just to have a meltdown like that, but what I was most proud of is we kept fighting. A lot of times, when you have that type of situation where a team comes all the way back, you just concede defeat, and let them have a dub. It’s a different conversation right now if that happened.”
Jabari finds a groove
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 05: Jabari Walker #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Kyle Kuzma #18 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half of the game at Fiserv Forum on December 05, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 John Fisher/Getty Images)
Walker drilled four triples on six attempts in the first half and finished 4-for-8 from deep for the game. Coach Nick Nurse and others have continued to push him to take those open 3s and this was no different for him. This is an example of what the Sixers are looking for from him as they generated a ton of open looks for him within the offensive ecosystem and he was able to step up and knock them down with confidence. On the second night of a back-to-back following an emotional win on Thursday, the Sixers needed it.
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“I mean, I think on a night like tonight, on a back-to-back, that’s what you’re hoping for,” Nurse said. “You get some X-Factor to keep the scoreboard moving and that was great. I keep saying it, he’s still getting used to us encouraging him to shoot them, right? So that takes some time. You got to get used to getting hot sometimes, and being able to keep kind of your emotions under control, to keep just trusting your work and your technique and stuff. So that’s a good experience for him as well.”
Kyle Lowry makes a difference
Dec 5, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) and guard Kyle Lowry (7) look at a phone during pregame warmups before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Say what you will about “Coach Kyle” and him being on the older side in his 20th season, but when Lowry is in the game, his presence is felt. The numbers were nothing special as he finished with three points, an assist, and a rebound, but he was a plus-9 in six minutes in the first half and really organized the offense. Lowry was able to set screens and create open looks for teammates along with making plays with his passing and such. Again, on the second night of a back-to-back, the Sixers needed others to step up and produce.
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“His first half stint was really good,” Nurse said of Lowry. “He went out there, and, like you said, organized a couple plays. He’s a tremendous screen setter. One of those 3-balls out of the timeout, that was his screen that freed PG up to get the 3. He went in there and put his put his body on some people, bring some physicality. So, his first stint was really good, and again, on a night like this, where you need to buy minutes, that’s a nice performance by him.”
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following solid road win over Bucks