By: Kylan Watson

Coming off of their overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia 76ers were looking to build some more momentum as they faced the Detroit Pistons tonight. Philly could not get any momentum going on either side of the ball tonight and the Pistons took full advantage beating them 105-95.

The Sixers did not start this game off well, once again they could not find the bottom of the basket early in the game. The offense was too stagnant, there were multiple times during this game where players were just standing around waiting for someone to make something happen. That cannot continue to happen, especially in the absence of Joel Embiid and Paul George.

Each player who touches the floor for the Sixers has to be giving it their all and doing something to open up the Sixers’ offensive and defensive capabilities. Philly only had three players who scored double digit points in this contest (Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points, Kelly Oubre scored 13 points, and Jared McCain scored 12 points). That is not enough to win games in the NBA even if they were at full strength.

Philly has two days until their next game to figure out a way to get their offensive and defensive schemes out of the mud. This was an ugly game for the Sixers that got uglier when they allowed Detroit to get multiple looks at the basket. That allowed Jaden Ivey (23 points), Cade Cunningham (22 points), and a returning Tobias Harris (18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds) to get going. They combined for 63 of Detroit’s 105-points and the Sixers had no answers for them, they allowed Detroit’s trio to impose their will on this contest.

Detroit just wanted this game way more than Philly did and they showed it from the opening tip-off. Philly cannot continue to allow teams to dominate them on both sides of the ball. In addition, they have to spend time boxing out and communicating on the defensive end.

Earlier in the season, they created multiple possessions by outhustling their opponents. The Sixers have to find that balance between going for a rebound and not leaving holes in their defensive scheme for opponents to take advantage of. They have the next couple of days to figure out a style of play that will allow them to maximize their talents even without Embiid and George.

Philly is now 1-3 with a tough stretch of games coming up as they begin their West Coast swing starting on Saturday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Another super athletic team that will punish them for making any mistakes on the defensive end. The Sixers will need to continue to rely on their ball movement to create high-percentage shooting opportunities. Doing that should create better shots for everyone on the floor and take the offensive load off of Maxey. Additionally, Philly will need to use communication on the defensive end and box out every rebounding threat on the floor. Doing that should allow them to be in the best position to grab rebounds and increase their chances of getting their second win of the season over the Grizzlies on Saturday night.