3 observations after Sixers blown out by Pistons team without Cunningham originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
DETROIT — The Sixers’ first night back on the road following a six-game homestand wasn’t one they’ll want to relive.
They fell to a 125-112 loss Friday against the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
The Sixers dipped to 20-31 and Detroit improved to .500 at 26-26.
Tyrese Maxey recorded 27 points and seven assists. Joel Embiid posted 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Pistons guard Malik Beasley poured in 36 points. Tobias Harris had 22 points and nine rebounds.
In addition to Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery), Guerschon Yabusele was out for the Sixers because of right knee soreness.
Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham sat with a sprained right ankle.
The Sixers will visit the Bucks on Sunday afternoon. Here are observations on their defeat to Detroit:
Sixers barely shift out of park in 1st half
Maxey scored six of the Sixers’ first eight points on a trio of layups. Outside of that, the Sixers started very poorly.
The Pistons jumped out to a 27-11 lead after a Beasley runner, Harris turnaround jumper and Marcus Sasser three-pointer. Even without Cunningham, Detroit played low-turnover, highly effective offense.
The same was not true for the Sixers, who settled for several jumpers. Embiid began 0 for 4 from the floor and Harris drew the star big man’s second foul at the 6:30 mark of the first quarter. Twenty-two seconds later, Maxey was whistled for his second personal.
The Sixers’ bench had better luck offensively, but the defensive results did not improve much for the rest of the first half in either man-to-man or zone.
Detroit had a 9-0 first-quarter advantage in second-chance points and went up 42-27 when Sasser hit a deep, off-balance three at the buzzer.
Terrible stretches happen for every team on occasion, but Friday’s first half sure illustrated that the Sixers’ stars being healthy won’t automatically equate to a great late-season surge.
Grimes debuts, Butler inactive
Quentin Grimes got on the scoreboard as a Sixer with two free throws late in the first quarter. Next time down, he sunk a wing three. That shot was one of the Sixers’ two successful long-range jumpers in the first half.
Kyle Lowry missed an easy put-back layup early in the second quarter. On the ensuing possession, Isaiah Stewart scored a third-chance lay-in. Beasley didn’t stop drilling jumpers and the Pistons’ lead ballooned as big as 34 points early in the third quarter. The Sixers allowed a whopping 78 first-half points.
As far as the Sixers’ rotations, it’s natural to wonder if Jared Butler will end up taking bench guard minutes that have been going to the 38-year-old Lowry, especially with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s comments Friday about the Sixers actively aiming to become younger at the trade deadline.
Butler was with the Sixers in Detroit but inactive. Of course, if the Sixers convert him from a two-way to a standard contract, they won’t need to worry any longer about the exact number of games he’s spent in the NBA.
“I think he’s a winner,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said of Butler pregame. “I think he is a two-way player. He can get up underneath (ball handlers) and guard, maybe can extend some pressure for us up the floor. Really good pick-and-roll player. Love the mechanics on his shot, so I think that’s improving as well. Good athlete.”
Andre Drummond was available for the first time since Jan. 21 — he’d been sidelined by a toe injury — but stayed behind rookie Adem Bona on the Sixers’ center depth chart. He finally checked in with 4:17 to go in the second quarter.
No miracles in Detroit
Embiid eventually got on track as a scorer. He made mid-range shots and produced on post-ups in the third quarter.
Across the board, the Sixers’ jumpers started falling. Maxey, Paul George and Justin Edwards knocked down threes early in the third quarter. The Pistons’ offense grew cold, too. After Harris missed a layup and Embiid hit two free throws, the Sixers’ deficit was at 14 points.
The Pistons avoided a catastrophic free-fall. The action late in the third quarter felt like a peek into a Sixers practice last season. Paul Reed audaciously challenged Embiid and had his dunk attempt rejected, but Harris collected the ball and laid it in. Seconds later, Reed picked up a steal. The former Sixers backup center jammed home a put-back slam soon after.
Embiid went back down the tunnel after the third quarter, but he returned to the Sixers’ bench early in the fourth.
The Sixers hung around to the extent that Nurse opted to bring him back in with 5:39 remaining. A Maxey three cut the Pistons’ lead to 115-104.
Obviously, the odds of winning any NBA game you trail by 34 points are minuscule. Embiid turned the ball over, Maxey and Grimes three-point attempts went in and out, and Detroit finished off a decisive win.
