By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to rebound after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. They faced a game Detroit Pistons squad that was trying to get their first win of the season over Philly. The Pistons used a fourth quarter explosion to beat Philly 102-94.

The Sixers jumped on Detroit from the opening tip-off. They were able to get whatever they wanted from the field. Joel Embiid led them he scored 37-points and grabbed 15-rebounds. He got whatever he wanted from the field, Detroit had no one available on the roster who could stop him. Embiid’s scoring and playmaking has continued to propel the Sixers up the standings, but tonight he made some key defensive plays to keep his team in the game.

Despite the scoring explosion from Embiid. The Pistons weathered the early storm and were able to get back into the game. Thanks to their bench scoring. They outscored Philly by 31-points in that category. That is where this game was lost by Philly. Heading into the playoffs the biggest concern for this team are the non-Embiid and Harden minutes. They have to find a way to get more than eight points from their bench. That and their fourth quarter defense are the reasons Philly lost to Detroit.  They just could not stop Cade Cunningham when it mattered the most. He scored 27-points and was able to find his teammates in their sweet spots. Philly had no answers for him in that fourth quarter. That was ultimately the difference in this game. The Sixers have to figure out their perimeter defense if they want to go far in the playoffs.

On the fourth quarter performance of the team, “I thought it was a tough game. I thought offensively we just stood around, their switching we just played outside and didnt move the ball as a group. At half-time, were shooting 42 percent I think, and I just thought the fouls bailed us out. We were awful in the first half too. We played with very little life tonight,” said Sixers Head Coach Doc Rivers.

The Sixers will now prepare for the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon. They will need to get another balanced scoring night to keep up with Charlotte’s explosive offense. Additionally, they will have to improve on the defensive end if they want to get their 47^th win of the season.