The Philadelphia 76ers met the Detroit Pistons on Friday night in their second game of the NBA Cup and their second meeting with Detroit in five days. Philly came in off a heart-stopping win against the Boston Celtics Tuesday night, while the Pistons have won eight straight games, including a three-point win in Philadelphia last Sunday night.
The injury report was long for this one, with key players missing on both sides. The Sixers were without Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain, who was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats to get consistent minutes to recondition. The Pistons were without Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris, and Ausar Thompson.
Even without their stars, the Pistons came out early in the first quarter with high energy and ball movement, letting the Sixers know they were there to play. They trapped every ball handler on pick-and-roll actions and tried to play physical. Former Sixer Paul Reed had an inspired start to the game with some nice buckets, a nice block, and four rebounds. The Pistons tried to punk the Sixers early and often with physical defense and smack talk to help make up for missing some of their key guys.
The second quarter saw rookie VJ Edgecombe be aggressive offensively, something he's struggled with in the last handful of games. The rookie, along with the subs, helped get the Sixers going offensively to help them keep up with the home team early in the quarter. Dominick Barlow was a big part of that run, pulling down six rebounds, three of which were offensive, a block and three points. They built their lead up to seven points, but the Pistons immediately came storming back after a timeout. The Pistons went on an extended run at the end of the second quarter to build a nine-point halftime lead, led unexpectedly by NBA journeyman Javonte Greene (21 points and nine rebounds).
To start the third quarter, the Sixers began with Quetin Grimes, who replaced Kelly Oubre Jr., who had hyperextended his left knee at the end of the first half and missed the rest of the game. Barlow, who made an impact in the first half, got the start over Watford in the second half. It paid dividends right away as they started the quarter on a 21-5 run and pushed a lead up to 12 points with three minutes to go in the period.
Andre Drummond was a key cog in the third quarter to help the Sixers overcome their halftime deficit. He rebounded well, played solid defense, and hit two corner three-pointers confidently. His willingness to try to add that to his game could pay off in the long run.
The Pistons would be heard from again, and it started with two-guard Daniss Jenkins knocking down a half-court three at the buzzer to end the third. That helped propel the Pistons' momentum, and they stormed back to take a lead in the fourth quarter.
Tyrese Maxey (31 points and seven rebounds) tried to do all he could to keep Philly afloat in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough. Caris LeVert (14 points) went on a heater of tough shots after tough shots, and it put just enough distance on the scoreboard to put Detroit ahead for good and to get the win.
This was a tough loss to an undermanned Pistons team and all but knocked them out of NBA Cup contention.
The Sixers next return home to Philadelphia, where they will host James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, Nov. 17. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
