DETROIT — The Philadelphia 76ers were rolling in the third quarter. They led the Detroit Pistons by 12 in the third quarter as they finally won the third frame as they opened the second half with a 23-5 blitz to turn a 9-point deficit into the double-digit advantage.
Unfortunately, the Pistons dug deep and put on a rally of their own as they knocked off the Sixers 114-105 for their ninth straight win. Despite missing Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson, and Jaden Ivey, the Pistons were able to pull out an impressive win.
“We got away from some of the stuff we were doing,” said Tyrese Maxey after the loss. “Got away from it, and when that happens, then it gets stagnant. There were a couple times we didn’t execute what we needed to execute.”
The Sixers were unable to keep the momentum going after a strong third quarter. The Pistons ended the third on a 15-5 spurt that included Daniss Jenkins throwing one in from halfcourt at the buzzer to cut the 12-point lead to just two heading into the fourth. Philadelphia then shot 33.3% from the floor and 1-for-8 from deep in the fourth as the Pistons finished it off.
“They’re a physical team with a next man up mentality that believes they deserve to win every game,” added Dominick Barlow. “They outworked us. They made shots. Credit to them, but we gotta be better. We gotta win that game.”
It was certainly a missed opportunity for the Sixers. The Pistons, while obviously a deep and talented bunch, were missing their star leader as well as other starters on the floor. It was a chance for the Sixers to get in the win column and they weren’t able to finish it off.
“I mean, everybody in the NBA is a good basketball player,” Barlow explained. “We get that first and foremost, but when a team is missing their All-Star and second option and three or four starters or whatever the case may be, we need to execute better and win that game. That’s the reason why I said that.”
The Sixers are now 0-2 against the Pistons on the season, and 0-2 in the NBA Cup as their chance of advancing have dwindled significantly. They let this one slip away down the stretch in this one and they know it.
“100%,” added a somber VJ Edgecombe. “100%.”
The Sixers will have two days off before they take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.