The Philadelphia 76ers delivered a forceful response on Tuesday night, January 27, 2026, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 139–122 at home in Philadelphia after one of the most difficult back-to-back stretches of their season. The win came one day after a 130–93 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, a game rescheduled to 3 p.m. Monday because of winter weather. Philadelphia did not return from Charlotte until after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, and at one point in that game had trailed by 50 points entering the fourth quarter. Both Joel Embiid and Paul George sat out that loss for injury management.
With both stars back in the lineup, the tone of the game changed immediately.
The Sixers have an injury report for today's game vs. Milwaukee:
Joel Embiid — left knee injury management — QUESTIONABLE
Paul George — left knee injury management — PROBABLE
Quentin Grimes – right ankle sprain – QUESTIONABLE
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) January 27, 2026
Embiid scored 18 points in the first quarter, setting the pace early, and finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. His early scoring established control from the opening minutes. George followed with 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field and 9-of-15 from three-point range. Early in the fourth quarter, he hit back-to-back three-pointers, extending an 11-point lead to 18, creating separation that Milwaukee could not close.
The connection between Philadelphia’s core players was visible throughout the game. Late in the first half, Tyrese Maxey found Embiid for an alley-oop dunk, then jumped up and down in celebration as both players smiled toward Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who previously coached the 76ers for three seasons. Maxey added 22 points and served as the primary facilitator alongside the team’s two stars.
The performance began to carry immediate effects beyond the game itself, including in the betting markets tied to Philadelphia’s upcoming schedule. For Thursday night’s home game against Sacramento, DraftKings listed the 76ers as -11.5 favorites, a half-point change from earlier preview lines that had the spread at -12, with the total set around 227.5 points. In the futures market, BetMGM listed Philadelphia at +4500 to win the NBA championship, while Covers listed Joel Embiid at +600 in the MVP race, keeping him positioned among the leading candidates.
Milwaukee’s betting outlook for its next game showed measurable movement as well. For Thursday night’s road matchup against Washington, FanDuel listed the Bucks at -2.5, down from earlier lines of -3.5, with the total at 224.5 points. Betting volume data from Action Network showed 50% of bets and 50% of money on Milwaukee in that matchup.
The Bucks entered Tuesday’s game without multiple rotation players. Giannis Antetokounmpo did not play due to a right calf strain, which the team announced would sideline him indefinitely. Kevin Porter Jr. was out with a right oblique injury, and Taurean Prince remained unavailable while recovering from neck surgery. For Philadelphia, Quentin Grimes missed the game due to a right ankle sprain.
Despite the absences, Milwaukee received production across its lineup. Myles Turner scored 31 points, Ryan Rollins added 24 points, Bobby Portis recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points. The Bucks stayed competitive in stretches but were unable to counter Philadelphia’s shooting and interior scoring once the Sixers established control.
The loss extended Milwaukee’s skid to three consecutive defeats and six losses in their last seven games.
Both teams return to action on Thursday night. The Milwaukee Bucks will travel to Washington to face the Wizards, while the Philadelphia 76ers will remain home to host the Sacramento Kings.
