Sixers need to be ‘mentally tougher’ against physical play while improving third quarters

DETROIT — One of the best parts about being honest with yourself as a basketball team is that it allows everyone to recognize an area of weakness and then take the steps to address it.

We’ve known since the start of the season that the 76ers need to become a better third-quarter team. And based on their two meetings against the Detroit Pistons, they also struggle with physicality. They realize, though, that the best way to combat physicality is with physicality.

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“You’ve got to be extremely physical,” Tyrese Maxey said Friday after a 114-105 NBA Cup loss to the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. “You’ve 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’ve got to stay with it. Got to stay mentally tough.”

The run that started to alter the game came when the Pistons (11-2, 2-0 NBA Cup) ended the third quarter on a 13-4 run, closing the gap to 90-88. Unable to combat Detroit’s physicality, the Sixers fell totally apart while being outscored by 26-15 in the fourth quarter. They made just 33.3% on their shots — including 1-of-8 three-pointers — and committed four of their 15 turnovers in the fourth quarter.

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The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons extended their winning streak to nine games despite playing without four starters — All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham, center Jalen Duren, guard Ausar Thompson, and power forward Tobias Harris — and six players total due to injuries.

This marked their second victory over the Sixers in a week. The Pistons prevailed, 111-108, on Nov. 9 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. On Friday, the Sixers shot the ball well at the start of the third quarter only to fall apart when Detroit stepped up its defensive intensity.

To their credit, the Sixers kept fighting and took a 101-100 lead on a Maxey three-pointer with 4 minutes, 54 seconds left. Then, after the Pistons built a five-point cushion, Maxey closed the gap to one point (109-108) on a pair of foul shots with 31.4 seconds remaining.

Down 111-108, they had a chance to force overtime on the final possession. However, Maxey missed a 25-foot three-pointer right before the buzzer.

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The Sixers made just six of 17 shots from the field — including three of 11 three-pointers — in the fourth. As a result, the Sixers were limited to 36.8% shooting — including making five of 19 three-pointers — in the second half. They were also doomed by committing 20 turnovers for the game.

“Listen, I think we played well enough to get one of the two, I think,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said Friday night. “We are right there. Obviously, they put it on us in the fourth tonight a little bit. But you know [it’s] disappointing that we haven’t at least gotten one of the two. I think we gave ourselves a chance in both of them and didn’t get it done.

“They’re big, strong, athletic, and have some depth. They’re missing some of their key guys and are able to bring in some more athletes. And they’ve got those guys playing really well right now.”

Those guys are exposing the Sixers’ inability to combat physicality. This is something else they must overcome. In addition to applying pressure, the Pistons did a solid job of staying in front of the Sixers and denying back cuts. And Detroit made a point of making contact while guarding players on their way to the basket.

“You have to just finish through some of those hits, too,” Nurse said. “We missed some layups, kind of driving layups to the outside of the lane, that they were obviously making contact.

“But we have to play through some of that stuff.”