Despite the schedule, it still sucks to lose the Andre Drummond two three-pointers made game.
The Sixers wrapped up their throwback weekend with an 111-108 loss to the Detroit Pistons Sunday night.
Tyrese
Maxey didn’t have his most efficient night, but still managed to drop 33 to lead all scorers, shooting 10-of-26 from the field along with seven assists. VJ Edgecombe once again had some big baskets amidst a night of struggles, he finished with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting along with six rebounds, two assists, and five turnovers.
Andre Drummond got his first start of the season and went for 17 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the three-point line. Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 24.
In only 8:51 of action, Jared McCain went scoreless again, going 0-of-3 from the floor with an assist and a steal. Joel Embiid missed this second part of the back-to-back with left knee injury management.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
- For better or worse, the Sixers offense ran on Drummond in the opening minutes of the game. He started off well, punching the opening tip right in front of the Pistons basket for Kelly Oubre Jr. to scoop up for a wide open dunk. The Sixers’ guards had trouble making space for themselves against a tall Pistons defense but Drummond was also able to knock down a corner three in the early going.
- The Sixers backcourt didn’t hit their first field goal of the game until about six minutes in when a broken play gave Maxey an open turnaround jumper. They were able to make up for that team-wide though by getting to the free throw line, taking 12 from the charity stripe in the quarter.
- Despite the change from a struggling Adem Bona to Drummond in the starting lineup, the Sixers couldn’t stop Detroit at the rim. Jarren Duren proved he could beat Drummond fairly easily, and they faired about as poorly as they usually do stopping dribble penetration. Ausar Thompson was getting whatever he wanted before briefly leaving the game for a rolled ankle. Transition defense continued to a sore sport as well as they got beat down the floor a handful of times.
- Interestingly (if that’s the word you want to use), Eric Gordon checked in to the game late in the quarter, rather than Jared McCain. Jabari Walker also got the first crack at backup center before Bona checked in. Those might not have been the most exciting lineup choice, but it didn’t get in the way of the second unit throwing together some better possessions offensively. A couple baskets each from Grimes and Walker didn’t quite keep pace with Detroit, but it was enough to cut the lead to five as the first ended.
Second Quarter
- Better play to start the second was pretty much entirely due to some improved defensive play. Walker had his best stretch as a Sixer so far. He was able to get into a passing lane and cause a steal, even if it was credited to Bona. The two of them were actually able to offer some resistance at the rim together. Edgecombe looked alright, especially in transition, but he also had a couple rookie-looking turnovers during this stretch.
- McCain checked in around the eight minute mark, getting a big pop from the crowd in the process. On his first touch he threw a nice skip pass to the corner, but it was intended Drummond who couldn’t come through on an assist. Admist an offensive renaissance from Walker, McCain also poked a pass away from an unsuspecting Duren leading to a fast-break Maxey three, prompting a Pistons timeout.
- Walker’s night began looking more what Sixers fans expected of him going into the year, but soon he was doing more than just dirty work. He grabbed three offensive rebounds in the half which gave him putback opportunities he converted. He finally got some threes to go down as well. On very low volume he was a 40% three-point shooter his last year in Portland, and he hit his first two of the season in this half after missing his first seven attempts of the year.
- On top of everything else going well for the Sixers, a mini Maxey flurry certainly didn’t hurt things. He wasn’t chucking threes as frequently as the night before, but was having a more efficient start going 2-of-4 from deep in the half. Add on a nice drive and a kickout to an Oubre three, and the Sixers went into the half with a 10-point lead.
Third Quarter
- The first test of the much dreaded third quarter was a small run from Detroit after the Sixers opened the half with a couple of easy baskets. Cunningham made only one field goal in the first half but it didn’t take him long to double that. A transition layup from Watford and the second easy dump off to Drummond in the dunker spot stopped that briefly enough to cause a Pistons time out.
- Those dump offs to Drummond seemed to make Maxey’s life easier on drives as he started to get better angles and therefore easier shots. The night couldn’t have been going better for Drummond offensively though, who knocked down a second corner three, much to the delight of many.
- The offense would go cold though, and the Pistons took that time to rip off an 11-0 run to retake the lead. Cunningham wasn’t having any problem finding his teammates, so he sure was lethal once he saw some shots of his own starting to fall. The Sixers, increasingly settling for more pull-up jumpers, couldn’t buy the baskets to halt momentum a bit. A Grimes three with a little over two-minutes left was their only field goal for the last 6:06 of the quarter, allowing the Pistons to take a three-point lead into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
- McCain checked back in at the start of the quarter. He’s still figuring out where to be and where to pick his spots with this new team. It feels like he could use the offense to run through him or for him for a few possessions to get him into a rhythm. Such a high leverage spot on such a tight minutes restriction is a hard time to do that, but the Sixers need to get him more involved. He’s still yet to score a point in his two games back. Maxey however, was able to briefly retake the lead during this stretch.
- Outside of Edgecombe, the Sixers had done a decent job taking care of the ball, though that begun to change at the worst time. Three turnovers in quick succession gave Detroit a bit of breathing room as the Sixers offense became increasingly dependent on Maxey. They were able to make up that possession deficit a few possessions later, grabbing two offensive rebounds on one possession that led to a big three.
- After a night of struggles, Edgecombe really seemed to lift the building hitting a three to cut the lead to two. As quickly as Cunningham got everyone to sit down by posterizing Drummond, Maxey got them back up with a steal and a slam on Cunningham himself. After forcing another miss, Maxey got to the line to cut the lead to cut the lead to two with 30 seconds left. Cunningham answered right back with an impressive turn around jumper.
- Down three, the Sixers ran a series of dribble hand offs around the three-point line, none of which getting anything open. They nearly ran out of time and lost the ball completely, but Maxey was able to scoop it up and get up a fadeaway at the buzzer that didn’t fall. Yet another crunch time loss with a disappointing look at the buzzer.
