The Sixers scrapped until the final buzzer Sunday night but couldn’t complete a two-win weekend.
They dropped a 111-108 game to the Pistons at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tyrese Maxey missed a game-tying three-point attempt at the final horn.
The Sixers are now 6-4 and Detroit is 8-2.
Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points and seven assists. Andre Drummond scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Pistons star Cade Cunningham had 26 points and 11 assists. Jalen Duren recorded 21 points and 16 rebounds.
The following Sixers were out on the second night of the team’s back-to-back:
- Joel Embiid (left knee injury management)
- Paul George (left knee surgery recovery)
- Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration)
- Johni Broome (right ankle sprain)
Tobias Harris (right ankle sprain) was among the sidelined Pistons.
The Sixers will host the Celtics on Tuesday night. Here are observations on their loss to Detroit:
Drummond’s 1st start
The Sixers used a starting frontcourt of Trendon Watford and Drummond.
The day after his first NBA triple-double, Watford turned 25 years old. He posted seven points, three rebounds and two assists. Drummond started his first game of the season.
The veteran center remained a very willing jump shooter. He sunk a corner three-pointer in his first stint and another in the third quarter. Drummond now sits at 4 for 10 beyond the arc on the season.
Duren is one of a few players in the NBA with physical strength anywhere near Drummond’s. He made a couple of early driving layups and tallied eight points in the first quarter. Drummond did the same.
The Pistons went up 37-32 on a Caris LeVert three with 0.7 seconds left in the first quarter. Remarkably, Cunningham had none of those 37 points. He played through two early fouls but opened 1 for 9 from the floor. Meanwhile, Maxey started 2 for 9.
Walker steps up, finds his shot
The Sixers’ bench was quite impactful in the first half.
Head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation was not what anyone would’ve predicted. Eric Gordon got his first playing time since Oct. 28. Jabari Walker received backup center minutes over Adem Bona, although Bona entered late in the first quarter and Walker then slid down to power forward.
Walker canned a three to give the Sixers a 42-39 edge. He was certainly due for some long-range success. Until that shot, he’d been 0 for 7 as a Sixer from three-point territory.
The 23-year-old continued to crash hard for offensive rebounds and helped the Sixers hold their own on the glass with a tough, physical Pistons team. Walker scored a put-back layup and then nailed a heat-check three on the Sixers’ next possession.
Before Sunday, his season scoring high was eight points. He had a dozen by the midpoint of the second quarter.
Nurse brought Jared McCain in with 8:29 to go in the second and the second-year guard heard loud cheers from the home fans. Injury misfortune had kept him out almost 11 months.
McCain contributed to a highlight soon after coming in, picking up a steal and then passing ahead to Maxey for a fast-break triple. With just two games under his belt, he’s obviously still rusty and growing accustomed to playing with a brace on his left knee. In nine minutes, McCain had zero points on 0-for-3 shooting.
Cunningham and Maxey duel in the clutch
Kelly Oubre Jr. built the Sixers’ lead to 62-51 with a three late in the second quarter. Oubre gave a resolute defensive effort against Cunningham, staying tight to his body and making him work for everything off the dribble.
However, Cunningham snapped into a higher gear in the second half.
He led a Pistons charge late in the third quarter and hit a free throw that put Detroit up 82-81. The Sixers again had a hard time with Maxey on the bench and trailed by three points after three quarters. A Paul Reed reverse dunk was the final basket of the third period.
Cunningham expertly orchestrated Detroit’s offense early in the fourth quarter and looked plenty confident in his ability to steer the Pistons to victory. The Sixers eventually blitzed Cunningham and tried to force the ball from his hands in the closing minutes.
After two Sixers offensive rebounds, Maxey drained a three to lift the Sixers to a 101-100 lead. He and Cunningham traded huge plays in the clutch.
Cunningham’s monstrous and-one slam put Detroit up 109-104. Maxey then scored the next four points, jamming in a fierce dunk of his own and hitting two free throws.
Ultimately, Cunningham had the last word. He navigated into the paint and made a difficult fadeaway jumper to give the Pistons a three-point lead with 16.9 seconds to play.
The Sixers couldn’t generate a good look on their final possession and ended up having to hope that Maxey’s tightly contested shot would send the game to overtime. He couldn’t force five extra minutes.
