The Milwaukee Bucks gave themselves chances with their rebounding. They gave too many back with their turnovers.

Milwaukee fell 127-116 to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, dropping to 0-3 despite a productive performance from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and a substantial advantage on the glass. The Bucks committed 22 turnovers, allowing Philadelphia to generate 26 points off those mistakes.

Jaquez led Milwaukee with 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Kel’el Ware added 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Ryan Rollins scored 15. Tyler Herro finished with 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting, a quieter outing after scoring 34 against Chicago the previous night.

The Bucks remained within reach for much of the night, but their mistakes limited the value of their strongest stretches. Against a Philadelphia team with several scoring options, Milwaukee could not afford the extra opportunities it surrendered.

There were areas the Bucks controlled convincingly.

Milwaukee outrebounded Philadelphia 62-40, collected 17 offensive rebounds and finished with 20 second-chance points. The Bucks also outscored the Sixers 58-26 in the paint, repeatedly finding production inside against a team that struggled to match their work on the boards.

Those advantages should have provided a foundation for a road victory. Instead, Milwaukee’s ball security and perimeter defense prevented it from taking control.

Philadelphia committed just 11 turnovers, half Milwaukee’s total, and made 19 of 44 attempts from 3-point range. The Bucks finished 11-for-34 from beyond the arc, leaving them facing a 24-point disadvantage on 3-pointers alone.

The combination placed considerable pressure on Milwaukee to keep producing inside. Every empty possession reduced the impact of the additional chances the Bucks created through offensive rebounding.

For a team searching for its first win, that imbalance was costly. Milwaukee competed physically but could not consistently finish possessions with a shot.

Milwaukee recovered from an early deficit to move ahead in the second quarter, demonstrating enough offensive balance to challenge Philadelphia. The Sixers eventually regained control and carried a 10-point lead into the fourth.

The Bucks made another push, but timely outside baskets from Jaylen Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope helped Philadelphia protect its advantage. Milwaukee’s comeback never developed into a sustained closing run.

Joel Embiid finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Brown scored 27 points, and Tyrese Maxey added 26 as Philadelphia improved to 3-0 without LeBron James, who sat out to manage sciatica. 

Milwaukee left with encouraging individual contributions, particularly from Jaquez and Ware, but another result that reflected its difficulty turning competitive stretches into a complete game.

Through three games, the Bucks have shown they can score enough to stay involved. Saturday reinforced the next requirement: protecting those scoring opportunities and making opponents work harder for their own.