No LeBron, no problem as Sixers roll on

The Philadelphia 76ers extended their perfect start to the NBA season with a 127-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, while the San Antonio Spurs earned their first win of the season against the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite resting their veteran acquisition LeBron James, the Sixers pulled away comfortably from the Bucks to improve to 3-0 in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid led the Sixers in scoring with a 28-point triple-double that included 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Embiid was supported on offense by Jaylen Brown, who celebrated his 30th birthday with 27 points, while the dynamic Tyrese Maxey contributed 26 points. V.J. Edgecombe hit five three-pointers for 17 points, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 off the bench.

"It's great to get off to a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do," Brown said of the Sixers' 3-0 start. "It's nice to win games right now, but we need to improve quickly," he added.

San Antonio Earns First Win Against the Mavericks

In Dallas, San Antonio shook off losses to Oklahoma City and Houston in its first two games to defeat the Mavericks 122-106, as the Mavericks played without the injured Cooper Flagg.

Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio in scoring with 23 points, while Dylan Harper added 22. De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each finished with 19 points.

The Rockets remain unstoppable

Houston continued its smooth start to the season, improving its record to 3-0 with a 121-114 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

The matchup between two undefeated teams was decided by Houston's balanced offense, with no fewer than seven Rockets players scoring in double digits, led by Kevin Durant with 22 points.

Antetokounmpo's Heat Can't Get Back on Track

The Miami Heat fell to 0-3 after losing 115-110 on the road to the Charlotte Hornets. Brandon Miller led Charlotte in scoring with 34 points, while Dennis Schroder added 25, helping the Hornets improve their record to 2-1.

Miami's new signing, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was held to just 14 points. Miami trailed 96-75 at the start of the fourth quarter but staged a spectacular comeback to tie the game, though they were unable to complete the comeback.

This loss marks the first time since the 2007–2008 season that Miami has lost its first three games of the season.

"We need a lot more inspiration over the full 48 minutes," said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. "It's a very powerful thing when you can inspire your teammates to make an extraordinary effort, and we will. We'll get there."

The Cleveland Cavaliers improved their record to 1-1 after defeating the Brooklyn Nets—who have yet to win a game—125-121, while the Washington Wizards edged out the Chicago Bulls 124-120 thanks to Trae Young's 25 points.