Regular Season Bell Ringer Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 1.5
Joel Embiid – 1
Jaylen Brown – 0.5
The Sixers once again had to battle a sluggish start, but were unable to come back against the Pistons despite resilient efforts from key Sixers.
It was a poor shooting night for the Sixers, who made only seven threes compared to Detroit’s 14. The more alarming figure is their free throw tally on Sunday. They went 14-of-23, with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James both missing four each.
Brown struggled to get in a
rhythm against the gritty defense of the Pistons, and it was evident quickly Anfernee Simons did not have it either. They were missing VJ Edgecombe badly in the first half, on both ends of the floor. They could’ve used Joel Embiid as well.
Just before halftime the Sixers gained some momentum thanks to one of our Bell Ringer nominees, but it would become a defensive struggle the rest of the way.
Now to Bell Ringer.
Tyrese Maxey: 29 points, 11-of-24 FG, 1-of-5 3PT, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Maxey finished the third quarter with only 11 points, but went ballistic in the final frame. He went 6-for-10 from the field, notched 18 points and kept the Sixers in striking range offensively in the fourth. His speed paired with shooting ability makes him impossible to stop when he gets an advantage on his defender. He was able to turn the corner on multiple occasions in the latter 12 minutes, giving the Sixers quick scores in their attempted comeback.
Maxey’s defensive impact has been felt in every game for the Sixers this season, and it continued tonight against the Pistons. His point of attack defense and team-wide effectiveness at blowing up dribble-hand-offs has created a large handful of easy transition buckets each game. Against Detroit, Maxey went vertical for a nasty block as well.
He added a three and pull-up deep two in the fourth as he valiantly willed the Sixers into a close game late.
Unfortunately, Maxey collided heads with John Collins with 1:40 remaining in the game. He was able to walk to the bench under his own power and return to the game, but it was already out of reach.
LeBron James: 18 points, 8-of-15 FG, 2-of-6 FT, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds
The intensity that Maxey had in the fourth to keep the Sixers in reach, LeBron James had at the end of the first half.
A sloppy start for the Sixers had them staring at an 18-point deficit with a 1:10 remaining before halftime. James goes on a personal 6-0 run to bring them to within 12, and gathered some much-needed momentum.
James joined Maxey in their fourth quarter push, but poor shooting from the Sixers and decent shooting from the Pistons kept them from completing the comeback.
James has been an omnipotent force for the Sixers. He continued to fill holes offensively and fight defensively as the makeshift five with Dean Wade.
Honorable Mentions
Labaron Philon Jr.: 5 points, 2-of-4 FG, 1-of-2 3PT, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
The rookie notched his first career bucket and three-pointer against the Pistons. The first field goal came in transition, off a LeBron James assist, as he found the bottom of the net on a pretty floater. He also displayed his playmaking once again with a savvy lob to Adem Bona in the paint over the taller defender.
Adem Bona: 6 points, 3-of-5 FG, 13 rebounds,3 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist
Bona still needs to work on staying on the ground defensively, but you have to credit his energy level in attacking the boards with Embiid out. Against the Pistons, when he jumped he either got pump faked, or blocked a shot. He finished with just two fouls in what was an overall uptick of a performance.
