Sixers Fall Apart in Detroit vs. Pistons for Third-Straight Loss

The Philadelphia 76ers probably thought they got all of their tough games out of the way as they approach the final stretch of games before the 2022 NBA

The Philadelphia 76ers probably thought they got all of their tough games out of the way as they approach the final stretch of games before the 2022 NBA Playoffs. This past Sunday, the Sixers paid a visit to the Phoenix Suns and took on a ten-point loss to the NBA Finals runner-ups.

When the Sixers returned to their home court in South Philly to face the Milwaukee Bucks, they had control of the matchup until crunch time approached. Although Tuesday’s game against the defending champions was much closer than their Sunday night matchup, the Sixers still fell short in the end and picked up their second-straight loss to the Bucks.

With the rebuilding Detroit Pistons on the schedule for Thursday night, many figured the Sixers should’ve had an easy opportunity to climb out of their mini-slump. 

Considering the Pistons are 20-56 on the year, ranking second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers were heavily favored. 

But in the NBA, teams have to be ready to compete on any given night. And the duo of Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey issued the Sixers a difficult matchup down the stretch when the game mattered the most and the Sixers couldn’t hold onto the lead.

Leading the Pack

Joel Embiid’s MVP campaign is alive and well. As the All-Star big man continues to stay healthy, he also continues to dominate night in and night out for the Sixers.

On Thursday night in Detroit, Embiid had himself another stellar outing on both sides of the court. In 36 minutes, Embiid drained 11 of his 19 shots from the field and hit on one of his two three-point attempts. He wrapped up the matchup with a game-high of 37 points.

In addition to Embiid’s scoring, he dominated on the defensive end by grabbing 15 rebounds, one steal, and swatting two shots. 

Not Enough

Before Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers preached aggressiveness to James Harden. As he told Harden to revert back to the way he played in Houston rather than the way he played in Brooklyn, the Sixers expected to see Harden score more moving forward. On Tuesday, he drained 32 points, his highest scoring total since he joined the 76ers.

While Harden showed promise on Tuesday, the Sixers needed to see some consistency. Unfortunately, they didn’t get that on Thursday in Detroit. Harden didn’t struggle due to a lack of attempts. In 38 minutes, the star guard chucked up 15 shots, with nine of them coming from beyond the arc.

Only four of his field goal attempts were successful, though. While Harden wrapped up the night with Philly’s second-most scoring total, his 18 points were modest compared to his 32-point outing from the other night. The Sixers need Harden to show consistency and to be more reliable. He wasn’t that on Thursday night.

Turnover City

The Sixers turned Motor City into Turnover City on Thursday. Coming out of halftime, the Sixers possessed a four-point lead. Although they outscored the Pistons 25-23 in the third quarter, thanks to a major 15-point contribution from Embiid, the Sixers still turned the ball over five times.

Meanwhile, Detroit took care of the ball on their end and stayed neck and neck with Philadelphia. Going into the fourth quarter, the Sixers possessed a 79-73 lead. As the more talented and experienced team on paper, the Sixers should’ve been able to close out their matchup against the Pistons with a sure victory.

But that’s not the direction the game went. Philly’s second-half sloppiness continued in the fourth quarter as they turned the ball over five times. They also struggled from the field as a team as the Sixers drained just 37-percent of their shots from the field and missed all six of their threes.

The Pistons, on the other hand, couldn’t miss. After getting up 17 shots, Detroit knocked down 64-percent of their field goals and went 5-10 from three. The Pistons dominated the Sixers in the fourth quarter by outscoring them 29-15. 

In the end, Detroit pulled off quite the upset as they rallied to beat the Sixers 102-94. With that loss, the Sixers pick up their 30th defeat of the year and fall into a three-game slump. Now, they’ll look to try and climb out of it with a game on Saturday afternoon against the Charlotte Hornets.

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