The Sixers returned home Wednesday for the first of a two-game set before they embark on a West Coast road trip. Their opponents: Tobias Harris, Paul Reed and the Detroit Pistons.
For once, the Sixers were able to get off to a strong start after just a few shaky moments to open the game. But things started to unravel soon after, as the Sixers experienced several lengthy offensive lulls and were burned by Pistons rising star Cade Cunningham. Tyrese Maxey had a strong individual showing, but none of his supporting cast members showed up for more than a play or two here and there. It all coalesced into a brutal loss for a Sixers team that was desperate for any sort of reason to be optimistic.
Here is what stood out from a 105-95 Sixers loss that sent fans home upset:
Sixers experience a pair of early defensive breakdowns, but quickly lock in
Detroit scored four points in the opening minute of the game thanks to obvious defensive miscommunications on the part of the Sixers. They were quickly able to get on the same page, though, and it took the Pistons about four minutes to score again — and it came when Harris bullied Kelly Oubre Jr. in the post en route to an easy finish.
The Sixers also experienced a slow start on offense, but very quickly got going when Caleb Martin rebounded his own missed corner three and seconds later knocked down a shot from the very same spot. Oubre scored at the rim and Lowry hit a three, punctuating an 8-0 run that forced a Detroit timeout.
Then, Tyrese Maxey took over. Maxey, who broke out of a slump with a 45-point masterpiece in Indiana on Sunday, knocked down a pull-up three, converted an and-one at the rim and finished a pair of crafty, one-handed scoop layups.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse introduced “The Ball Wins” into the Sixers’ lexicon at the start of training camp, emphasizing the importance of dominating the possession battle. One of the many aspects of doing so is forcing turnovers, and the Sixers generated six Pistons turnovers in the opening frame — one by each Detroit starter and one by reserve wing Simone Fontecchio. On the defensive end, the opening quarter of this one was the longest stretch to date that the Sixers looked like a cohesive unit.
Harris and Reed greeted with tribute video
It was no surprise when Harris was booed thunderously when Sixers public address announcer Matt Cord announced his name during the starting lineup introductions, and it only escalated, as Harris received the same treatment every time he touched the ball from the opening moments of the game.
At the first timeout of the game, the Sixers played a tribute video for the two former Sixers. The Philadelphia crowd even booed during the brief seconds in which Harris had the ball in his hands in that video. Reed’s inclusion in the same video was a wise move, as it quieted some of the hostility.
MORE: Harris, Reed reflect on Sixers tenures
A few rotation tweaks from Nurse
With Joel Embiid and Paul George sidelined for the time being, not only does Maxey see increased attention and face more intense expectations, but it also makes it harder for Nurse’s team to generate consistent offense when Maxey is not in the game. The key figure in those situations was expected to be Oubre, who is the team’s next-best bet to consistently create offense because of his ability to consistently pressure the rim.
In each of the Sixers’ first two games, they almost exclusively staggered Maxey and Oubre — meaning at least one was on the floor at neatly all times — to ensure they had one player who could create advantages. In Indiana, Nurse closed the first and third quarters with neither player on the floor, but those stretches only lasted a minute and change each. He went the final three minutes or so without either player on the floor in this one, though, relying on Kyle Lowry and — to a degree — Caleb Martin to help initiate offense. Martin spent a lot of time on the ball late in the Indiana game, a bit of a surprise given his history.
Additionally, Nurse expanded his rotation to 10 players in the first half. Rookie guard Jared McCain was not his ninth man as he was in Indiana; the nod instead went to Ricky Council IV. After the team’s morning shootaround, Oubre highlighted Detroit’s combination of athleticism and physicality, which made Council a sensible option. But midway through the second quarter, McCain did end up in the action.
Pistons take control with run in second quarter
Detroit surged far ahead of the Sixers in the second quarter, opening the frame on a 15-2 run that put them ahead 37-28. The Sixers looked disorganized offensively and started allowing the Pistons to take advantage of far too many opportunities. The Sixers experienced their worst defensive rebounding stretch of the season to date, including a possession in which they allowed three offensive rebounds in a row.
Another Maxey run — punctuated by a pair of step-back mid-range jumpers — got the Sixers back in it.
A late Maxey triple also helped stop the bleeding, but as things stalled for the Sixers again, the Pistons were able to grow their lead. By the time the teams hit their locker rooms at intermission, the Sixers were facing a nine-point deficit despite 19 points from their All-Star point guard — thanks in large part to the fact that none of his teammates had scored more than seven points.
Disastrous two-way third quarter puts Sixers in massive hole
The one thing the Sixers absolutely could not do in the third quarter was show up flat, and that is exactly what they did. Offensively, the Sixers’ possessions grew increasingly stagnant. Maxey cooled off a bit, and no other Sixer had any answers on that end of the floor. Time and time again, their possessions involved little ball or player movement, devolving into rushed, desperate end-of-shot-clock attempts.
Defensively, they fell victim to Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, two young guards with plenty of scoring chops who got going in tandem with one another.
A Malik Beasley triple sent the Sixers to rock bottom, as they faced a 21-point deficit, but they were able to create a bit of juice in the arena: McCain and Maxey made back-to-back layups, and Guerschon Yabusele forced a turnover that led to an exciting alley-oop connection between Maxey and KJ Martin:
KJ Martin’s one-handed slam forced a Pistons timeout, and Detroit showed impressive composure in the final moments of the frame to halt the Sixers’ momentum. Their lead grew back to 18 by the time the fourth quarter arrived.
Strong push gives Sixers life in opening minutes of final frame, but Harris and co. respond to put game out of reach
Nurse rode McCain into the beginning of the fourth quarter, and the rookie gave his team a major jolt of offense without his signature three-point shot factoring in. McCain continually showed effective driving skills, and in tandem with three Maxey points, a Yabusele triple and steal and KJ Martin transition bucket, the Sixers were able to open the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run in a hair over three minutes of action.
Detroit called timeout, and Harris offered some stability with a few buckets. The Pistons were able to stretch their lead back out to 15 with six and a half minutes left. Nurse brought Oubre and Drummond back into the game — replacing KJ Martin and Yabusele — but stuck with Maxey and McCain in the backcourt.
Ultimately, the Sixers’ few brief surges only delayed the reality that the team was going to drop a home game to a winless team that had the worst record in the NBA the year prior. The Sixers — again — failed to play good two-way basketball for more than a few moments at a time. The result: a 1-3 record to begin 2024-25.
Up next: The Sixers will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, hoping to avoid a 1-4 start. Things are getting ugly quickly.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice
