It's not easy to avoid the doom and gloom after losing the first three games of a new season. However, the Milwaukee Bucks (0-3) are focused on learning and growing from their defeats. 

Their latest, a 127-116 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday in the second half of a back-to-back, showed them that they're inching closer to their first win; they just have to execute better down the stretch. 

"One of the things we've been working on is getting our competitive spirit right," Bucks' wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. said afterward. "Going into these games knowing that it only ends when the timer hits zero, so just continuing to stay in the fight no matter what. 

"I think that has gotten a lot better, but now it's about doing that and playing smart at the same time."

Jaquez Jr.—whose Bucks career is off to a great start after arriving from the Miami Heat in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade this offseason—blamed the loss to the Sixers on untimely turnovers and wastefulness late in the fourth quarter. 

However, he also stressed the importance of staying the course with 79 games remaining. Continuous growth will eventually produce victories. 

Jaquez Jr. led the Bucks in scoring with 21 points and added eight rebounds and four assists. He is averaging 20.7 points and 8.7 rebounds on 61.1 percent shooting in his first three games as a Buck. 

Playing without LeBron James (rest), the Sixers were still difficult to keep pace with offensively. Joel Embiid had a triple-double (28 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists), combining for 81 points with Jaylen Brown (27) and Tyrese Maxey (26). 

The Bucks hung tough, though, staying in the contest right until the end. They went toe-to-toe with Philadelphia after getting outscored 34-25 in the first quarter. 

The early hole proved impossible to climb out of; however, it was a positive to see how the rest of the game unfolded. 

Through three games, the Bucks have shown that they can score with the best of them, averaging 119 points. 

They boasted eight players scoring in double figures against the Sixers. On another night, if both Tyler Herro and Ryan Rollins shot a bit more efficiently, the Bucks could've knocked off the Sixers. 

Herro (13) and Rollins (15) both went 6-for-14 from the field to combine for 28 points. 

Elsewhere, 6-foot-10 rookie Nate Ament made his NBA debut but managed just one point in 11 minutes off the bench. 

Big man Kel'el Ware paced the second unit with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double with two blocks and a steal. Rookie Brayden Burries added 10 points in 17 minutes, and Kasparas Jakucionis chipped in 12. 

Herro said after the Bucks lost to the Chicago Bulls on Friday that he can see this team being competitive in a lot of games. Milwaukee is proving him right so far. 

Is that the foundation of a playoff team? No. But the Bucks could go on to win way more games than most would have expected. Their next opportunity to get into the win column will be on Monday when they host the Indiana Pacers (2-1, 2-0 away).