Philadelphia mauls Milwaukee to complete NBA bounce back

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After absorbing one of its worst franchise losses at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets in its last game, the Philadelphia 76ers saw enough and vented their ire on the Milwaukee Bucks, 139-122, during their Eastern Conference matchup in the ongoing NBA regular season on Jan. 28, 2026.

With the much-needed victory, Philadelphia snapped its NBA losing streak and officially returned to the NBA winning column.

A full-force and healthy squad dispatched the Bucks, bolstered by the returning 1-2 punch of Paul George and Joel Embiid, who were both absent during their disappointing loss to the Hornets due to injury.

George turned back the hands of time, achieving his second-best offensive performance of the 2025–26 season with a team-high 32-point output built on efficient 11-of-21 shooting from the field.

It was the two-way star who set the tone for Philadelphia’s massive 42-point outing in the first quarter, as he drained three early treys and a series of difficult layups.

George also helped restore order when the Bucks clawed their way back in the following quarter, spraying back-to-back three-pointers followed by a coast-to-coast layup to retake control at the half.

After 32 minutes of action, the versatile skipper capped off his three-point clinic with nine made treys on 15 attempts, along with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Meanwhile, Embiid started to heat up after checking back into the game in the second frame. Without the interior presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the bruising big man schooled the paint defense of Myles Turner and Bobby Portis, who just didn’t have an answer for the red-hot frontcourt stalwart.

The Bucks still had faith in Turner’s single coverage in the final three minutes of the second frame, but after Embiid scored three consecutive buckets on him, Milwaukee decided to open the second half by double-teaming him in the post.

However, that adjustment only added to Milwaukee’s woes, as Embiid calmly called for the swing-swing action to locate his open shooters.

Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain were the beneficiaries of Embiid’s kick-out passes, as the guard duo drained big buckets that helped protect Philadelphia’s double-digit lead until the final buzzer sounded.

Embiid put up another monster performance, delivering 29 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and a steal, while the duo of Maxey and McCain chipped in 22 and 17 points, respectively.

On the other hand, Milwaukee struggled without Antetokounmpo, who is expected to be sidelined for three more weeks due to a right calf strain.

The 76ers will go for their second straight win on Jan. 30, 2026, against the Sacramento Kings, while Milwaukee aims to redeem itself on the same date against the Washington Wizards.