Shorthanded Sixers suffer their first loss of the season, 106-93, to the Pistons
The Sixers continued an early-season trend of falling behind big early only to storm back. This time, they couldn’t climb all the way back.
Even though Joel Embiid said Saturday he felt good enough to play Sunday, the 76ers and the oft-injured Embiid made a long-term call to manage his workload and sat him for the team’s 106-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
But not only did the Sixers get a slice of what life will be like when Embiid sits, they also had to navigate the night without guard VJ Edgecombe, who missed the game because of an abdominal contusion he suffered in the win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers continued an early-season trend of falling behind big early only to storm back. This time, they couldn’t climb all the way back after cutting a 21-point deficit to four and they fell to 3-1.
Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 29 points while Cade Cunningham had 26 for the Pistons. Jaylen Brown struggled to 5-for-20 from the field for 16 points. As a team, the Sixers shot 40%, just 7-for-27 from three-point range.
LeBron part of shorthanded center rotation
LeBron James returned after resting on the front part of the back to back Saturday and had 18 points and five assists. James struggled from the foul line, as did the rest of the Sixers, who shot 14-for-23.
As coach Nick Nurse pointed out prior to the game, the Sixers injury report was filled with “fours and fives” meaning his options at center were limited.
The Sixers were not only down Embiid but also other frontcourt options like Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker. They also missed Edgecombe, who, while not a candidate to play center, did have 13 rebounds in the win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Nurse began the game with Dean Wade and James playing small ball center, and the early returns were not inspiring. No one in that lineup was credited with an individual defensive rebound as the Pistons raced out to a 25-7 lead. Detroit, who was without its starting center, Jalen Duren (hamstring), had 12 second-chance points in the first quarter alone. It didn’t help the Sixers that Tyrese Maxey picked up two fouls early in the quarter.
It wasn’t until Adem Bona came in that the Sixers started to rebound both on the defensive end and on the scoreboard. Bona had six rebounds in the first quarter while the rest of the team had four. The Sixers trailed 34-22 after one and had dug themselves another early hole. Bona ended up with his best minutes of the season, and finished with six points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes.
Offensive issues early
The Sixers halfcourt offense has been inconsistent through the early part of the season, and given their inability to rebound, they weren’t getting out in transition as much as they would like.
The Pistons’ lead grew to 21 by the later part of the quarter while the Sixers offense bogged down in the halfcourt. They missed Embiid, who had a triple double in the win over Milwaukee. Good shots were hard to come by, even with Detroit down Duren and its leading perimeter defender Ausar Thompson (ankle).
The Sixers offensive rating in the halfcourt through the first two quarters was an abysmal 69.4 points per 100 possessions. They had a burst the last 93 seconds of the second and closed the second on a 9-0 run and trailed 56-44 at the half. Six of those points came in transition after a rebound or turnover.
Injuries abound
Edgecombe was a late scratch because of an abdominal contusion. Coach Nick Nurse said Edgecombe took a knee to the midsection that he was able to play through Saturday, but Edgecombe was sore on Sunday. Jabari Walker was out because of left knee soreness he suffered in Saturday’s game. Dominick Barlow (low back stress reaction) and Tacko Fall (left quad strain) remained out.
Beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine break down their most intriguing quotes from LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey during the preseason, along with what they most hope to learn about this revamped roster during the first month of the season. Watch here.
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