3 observations after Sixers blown out by Pistons team without Cunningham

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3 observations after Sixers blown out by Pistons team without Cunningham originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

DETROIT — The Sixers’ first night back on the road following a six-game homestand wasn’t one they’ll want to relive.

They fell to a 125-112 loss Friday against the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.

The Sixers dipped to 20-31 and Detroit improved to .500 at 26-26.

Tyrese Maxey recorded 27 points and seven assists. Joel Embiid posted 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Pistons guard Malik Beasley poured in 36 points. Tobias Harris had 22 points and nine rebounds.

In addition to Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery), Guerschon Yabusele was out for the Sixers because of right knee soreness.

Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham sat with a sprained right ankle.

The Sixers will visit the Bucks on Sunday afternoon. Here are observations on their defeat to Detroit:

Sixers barely shift out of park in 1st half

Maxey scored six of the Sixers’ first eight points on a trio of layups. Outside of that, the Sixers started very poorly.

The Pistons jumped out to a 27-11 lead after a Beasley runner, Harris turnaround jumper and Marcus Sasser three-pointer. Even without Cunningham, Detroit played low-turnover, highly effective offense.

The same was not true for the Sixers, who settled for several jumpers. Embiid began 0 for 4 from the floor and Harris drew the star big man’s second foul at the 6:30 mark of the first quarter. Twenty-two seconds later, Maxey was whistled for his second personal.

The Sixers’ bench had better luck offensively, but the defensive results did not improve much for the rest of the first half in either man-to-man or zone.

Detroit had a 9-0 first-quarter advantage in second-chance points and went up 42-27 when Sasser hit a deep, off-balance three at the buzzer.

Terrible stretches happen for every team on occasion, but Friday’s first half sure illustrated that the Sixers’ stars being healthy won’t automatically equate to a great late-season surge.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-observations-sixers-blown-pistons-221640543.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2025-02-07 22:16:00

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