What happened: The Philadelphia 76ers downgraded LeBron James from questionable to out on Saturday afternoon ahead of their matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The 41-year-old sits out for the first time with Philadelphia for low back and sciatica management. Dominick Barlow (low back stress reaction), Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) and Tacko Fall (left quadriceps strain) were also ruled out, while Dean Wade was listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain.

Why it matters: Philadelphia enters the opener of its first back-to-back set at 2-0 against an 0-2 Milwaukee squad. Head coach Nick Nurse emphasized before the season that the organization will manage the regular-season workloads of both James and Joel Embiid to keep the veteran stars fresh for April.

What to watch: Philadelphia finishes its back-to-back at home on Sunday against the 2-0 Detroit Pistons. Joel Embiid has stated he expects to play only one leg of back-to-back sets, putting his Sunday availability in focus.