Doc Rivers Doesn't Put Much Blame on Sixers' Bench for Struggles vs. Pistons

The Philadelphia 76ers looked to avoid falling into a three-game losing streak on Thursday night. After dropping games against the NBA's top team, the Phoenix Suns, and the defending champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers had a much easier opponent on schedule as they faced the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

As a top team in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers should've been able to handle the East's second-to-worst team record-wise with ease. However, the Sixers saw a common theme and couldn't overcome their key struggles.

Lately, three key factors have played into Philadelphia's struggles. One, the inconsistent play of James Harden on offense. While he had solid games recently against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Bucks, Harden had a rough outing in Detroit.

Another factor is Philly's fourth-quarter struggles. Against Phoenix, they completely lost control and turned a close game into a ten-point loss. Versus Milwaukee, the Sixers possessed an eight-point lead going into the final quarter and lost the game by two points in the end.

In Detroit, the Sixers led by six points going into the fourth quarter before shooting 37-percent from the field, turning the ball over five times, and eventually allowing the Pistons to pull off the upset victory with a 102-94 win.

Perhaps the most significant issue of all is the Sixers' bench unit. Ever since the 76ers traded away Andre Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets, the backup center position has become a glaring hole on the roster. However, the rest of the unit has had some bad games overall, and Thursday night was one of them.

Struggles From the Bench

When the Sixers wrapped up the first quarter of Thursday's game with a five-point lead, not a single player from the second unit contributed to their 25 points. With just one shot taken by Danny Green, the bench unit totally failed to make an early impact.

They didn't get it going in the second quarter, either. With three more shots taken, the bench unit wrapped up the first half with zero of Philadelphia's 54 points. Meanwhile, Detroit's bench contributed to 21 of their 50 points. 

A halftime pep talk couldn't do the trick. Although Shake Milton finally ended the drought in the third quarter by knocking down a three, his lone shot at the beginning of the second half would be the only production to come from the bench before the fourth quarter.

Georges Niang and DeAndre Jordan combined for five points in the fourth quarter. In total, the Sixers' bench finished the night with eight points. While the second unit's struggles could certainly be highlighted as a primary reason why the Sixers fell short, Philly head coach Doc Rivers avoided going that route.

Doc Doesn't Blame Them

"They didn't struggle," said Rivers after Thursday's game, regarding the bench. "They didn't get a lot of shots in their defense. I think during that stretch, it was more James than them. It was just a tough night."

Rivers' comments regarding Harden and the bench caused quite a stir as it seemed he was placing the blame solely on the star guard for taking too many shots. However, that's not really the case.

Lately, Rivers has urged Harden to take more shots and essentially become more of a selfish scorer because he's the best shot-creating guard on the team. Unfortunately, when Harden's shots aren't falling, it's guaranteed to hurt the Sixers.

Considering Harden went 4-15 from the field on Thursday, it's clear he wasn't having his hottest shooting night. While Harden's shown his shot is undoubtedly still there, inconsistency has been an issue for the ten-time All-Star so far during his stint with the 76ers.

At this point, the Sixers have to hope that either Harden can start becoming more consistent or the bench will have to come alive and offer help because their struggles on Thursday night once again displayed a notable problem with this year's squad.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.