Sixers takeaways: Another loss to Detroit and another key player goes down in injury-filled season

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons are either really good, or the 76ers have a lot of work to do.

Now that Dominick Barlow is healthy, coach Nick Nurse needs to insert him back into the starting lineup.

And after Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the second half, it’s evident that injuries remain a significant problem for the Sixers.

Those three things stood out in their 114-105 NBA Cup East Group B loss to the Pistons on Friday at Little Caesars Arena.

The Sixers (7-5, 0-2 NBA Cup) blew a golden opportunity to steal a victory.

While Joel Embiid (right knee soreness) and Paul George (left knee injury recovery) remain sidelined, the Sixers should have defeated the undermanned Pistons on the strength of having Tyrese Maxey.

Maxey has been one of the league’s best players this season, and he scored 31 points against Detroit. Meanwhile, the Pistons were without four starters — All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham, center Jalen Duren, guard Ausar Thompson (sprained right ankle), and power forward Tobias Harris (sprained right ankle) — and six players total because of injuries.

“They outworked us,” Barlow said. “They made shots, credit to them. But we got to win that game.”

Did Barlow think it was a must-win situation, since the Pistons (11-2, 2-0) were missing their four best players?

“Everybody in the NBA is a good basketball player,” Barlow said. “Let me get that, first and foremost. But when a team is missing their All-Star, their second option, and like three or four starters, whatever the case might be, we’ve got to execute better and win that game.”

The Sixers had a tough time with Detroit’s physicality and antics, which, at times, appeared excessive. The squads had to be separated on multiple occasions. One of the biggest trash talkers was Detroit’s Daniss Jenkins. The guard ran over to the Sixers’ bench and taunted players at the end of the third quarter after he hit a 52-foot buzzer-beating three-pointer.

“He played really good,” Maxey said of Jenkins making five three-pointers en route to finishing with 19 points. “He played really tough. We talked a little bit of trash. After the game, I asked him, ‘What’s up, man? We got an issue or something?’ He was like, ‘Nah, just being competitive.’ He’s from Dallas. So no disrespect.”

The Sixers didn’t match Detroit’s physicality and struggled after several substitutions late in the third quarter. And they completely fell apart in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points on 33.3% shooting — including making 1 of 8 three-pointers.

The Sixers changed things up at intermission. Barlow got the nod in place of Trendon Watford, as he and Quentin Grimes joined starters Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Andre Drummond in the lineup to open the third quarter. Grimes played in place of Oubre after the small forward hyperextended his left knee late in the first half and didn’t return after intermission.

But the new lineup helped them open the quarter with a 23-5 run and take a 77-68 lead with 5 minutes, 59 seconds left. They later extended their cushion to 12 points.

“We had a group really playing well there throughout most of the third and just kind of collapsed in the last 2:45, 2:50 of the third,” Nurse said. “Obviously, getting some guys out to keep them ready for the fourth and … combinations weren’t good or whatever. We just caved in really quick because we were playing great defense there for nine minutes of the third and gave up a bunch down the stretch.”

» READ MORE: Sixers forward Dominick Barlow ready to pick up where he left off

But the Sixers must do a better job of fighting. They have struggled when teams like the Pistons try to bump them off their actions.

“You’ve got to be physical back,” Maxey said. “You got to be extremely physical. You got to be mentally tougher than them. I don’t think we were mentally tough. Early on, we did a good job, but once they were on a couple of runs, you got to stay with it. Got to stay mentally tough.”

No one will deny that the Pistons are big, strong, and athletic. However, this should have been an easy victory for the Sixers. They can’t afford to lose these types of games moving forward.

“We applied a little more pressure,” Isaiah Stewart said of the Pistons’ effort late in the third quarter. “Keep applying that pressure, and they laid down for us.”

But not everyone agreed on why this was a missed opportunity.

“We have our share of guys out, too, right?” Nurse said. “I look at it as any time you get double digits in the second half, you got yourself a chance to win a game. That’s probably more of a missed opportunity than who was out there.”

Barlow came in at the start of the second quarter after missing the previous nine games with a right elbow laceration. The power forward made an immediate impact.

After quickly grabbing a defensive rebound, Barlow drained a wide-open corner three-pointer before grabbing another board moments later. His rebound then sparked a break that ended with a three-pointer by Justin Edward, giving the Sixers a 38-31 lead with 9:55 left in the half.

Forty-one seconds later, he blocked Ron Holland’s breakaway dunk attempt. He finished with 10 points, eight rebounds (five offensive), three assists, and two blocks.

None of this was surprising.

As a starter, he helped the Sixers get going in their season-opening victory over the Boston Celtics and finished with 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting, along with eight rebounds (five offensive), five assists, and a block.

Barlow averaged 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the first two games before being sidelined with his injury.

“It was fun,” Barlow said of his first game since Oct. 25. “Obviously, disappointed with the outcome. We got to be better as a group. But it’s great playing. I love playing. So I was happy.”

The Sixers missed the spark he provided while sidelined. He makes them a better team and will continue to complement Maxey, Edgecombe, and Embiid in the starting lineup.

With Oubre suffering an injury, the Sixers have three starters sidelined.

Embiid missed his third straight game with knee issues. He missed the past two games because of right knee soreness and sat out Sunday’s game against the Pistons while resting his left knee, which he had surgically repaired in April.

This team just can’t get a break when it comes to injuries. And Oubre could be a massive loss if he is out for an extended period. The forward is scheduled to have an MRI on Saturday to determine the extent of his injury.

Oubre has played some of his best basketball as a Sixer to start the season, averaging 16.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 12 games. Oubre is shooting 49.7% from the field, a career-best, and 34.3% from three.

» READ MORE: VJ Edgecombe navigating NBA grind after surprise start to his career: ‘I’ve got to give myself some grace’

“I’ll be all right,” Oubre said before the media was told he wasn’t available to speak.

The Sixers have been undermanned all season.

George has yet to play. Meanwhile, Watford (hamstring), Jared McCain (thumb), Embiid (right knee soreness, left knee injury management), and Barlow have all missed time this season with injuries.