3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following season finale win over Bucks

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers finished up the regular season with a 126-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening to finish the season at 45-37 and the No. 7 seed in the East. The Sixers will now play host to the Orlando Magic in the 7 vs. 8 play-in game on Wednesday.

Tyrese Maxey led the way with 21 points, Andre Drummond had 12 points and 13 rebounds, Justin Edwards had 17 points, and Paul George had 11 points and five rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 11 points and five rebounds and Quentin Grimes added 20 and five assists.

Here are the three biggest takeaways following the win:

Maxey finds a rhythm

Apr 12, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) controls the ball against Milwaukee Bucks guard Cormac Ryan (30) in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Sixers saw Maxey struggle to start the night on Sunday as he only had five points on 1-for-5 shooting at halftime as the Bucks held a 62-58 halftime lead. Continuing to work his way back from a finger injury, Maxey's efficiency has been up and down, but he got it going in the third quarter against the Bucks. He had 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting in the third as the Sixers outscored Milwaukee 38-16 to get the job done and put the Bucks away.

"I think it's a little bit of a difficult game to play, and I don't think we came out with a lot of life and kind of wanted it to be easier than it was going to be," said coach Nick Nurse. "It's always the case in this league. I just think he just came out and turned up his work rate and aggressiveness and all that stuff in the second half. He played more like himself."

Drummond provides a lift

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 12: Andre Drummond #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives past AJ Green #20 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

When the Sixers inserted Drummond into the game on Sunday, he changed everything. His physicality, size, and strength played a big role for Philadelphia taking control of the game as he continues to play well recently. Six of his 13 rebounds were on the offensive end as his presence immediately changed the game in Philadelphia's favor. It allowed the Sixers to really find their rhythm and continue to push forward toward postseason play.

Nurse said on Drummond:

He’s done a good job, no doubt about it, and we needed him to so that's been good. Just a little bit of everything. I think the rebounding always is a big one, but a couple good passes. Some back cut passes, couple, two of them, at least tonight, and some good number of offensive rebounds, getting some extra possessions. I know he had six of them. He might have got three of them on his own shot there one time, but he finished. So it doesn't matter once as long he doesn't leave until it's in the basket, but just pretty good, solid play. I thought defensively, he started getting up. That was the one thing at halftime. We weren't doing all the work pressuring the 5s, and they were wheeling deal and paying and off to all those 3-point shooters, but he got up, played really aggressive in the second half.

A bounce back season

Apr 12, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) shoots the ball against Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) in the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Sixers, once again, had to deal with a ton of adversity in the 2025-26 season between the 25-game suspension to George, the injuries and the current appendicitis surgery recovery for Joel Embiid, and a myriad of other issues that arose. Instead of crumbling as they did in the 2024-25 season, the Sixers won 21 more games than they did the previous season and head into a chance to compete in the playoffs. There is still more work to be done, but the Sixers showed their resilience and toughness in order to bounce back and be back in this moment.

Nurss stated:

I mean, I think the overall assessment is as choppy as it was again, injury-wise, I'm glad we were able to handle that a lot better. I thought a lot of guys improved, and a lot of lot of guys filled in. There was, I think, moments for almost everybody over there. That was really important considering, you know, certain times, especially, I think we were missing four starters for a good stretch there and those guys were able to pick off a good—probably a little under .500, but pretty close to keep things going, which I think was hugely important. So, I'm pretty proud of them for hanging in there and battling through the adversity and all that kind of stuff. I think we got a lot of ceiling to go yet. I think there's a lot. So, hopefully we'll get to play a bunch of games and keep improving.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following season finale win over Bucks