With star players sitting out on both sides, the Detroit Pistons had a chance to improve to 2-1 on the season. Following an abysmal effort from the free throw line and too many turnovers, the Sixers prevailed.
Despite this only being the third game of the season for the Detroit Pistons, this will be one of the more disheartening losses on the season. Detroit shot just 21 for 36 from the free throw line and committed 23 turnovers, and in the absence of Blake Griffin, that is unacceptable. The Pistons were in play to steal a game against a top team in the Eastern Conference and they let it slip away.
Dwane Casey’s approach throughout the game was questionable at times. With Reggie Jackson sitting out tonight, the starting lineup was Tim Frazier, Bruce Brown, Tony Snell, Markieff Morris, and Andre Drummond. Through just under four minutes, the starting lineup was 2 for 6 from the field with 7 turnovers.
The usual second unit came in and proceeded to go on a 16-2 run, shooting 10 for 12 and only committing 1 turnover.
The problem with this was when the Pistons went into halftime with a 3 point lead, that same starting lineup came back into the game to start the half with minimal adjustments made. Frazier is not an ideal option for the Pistons to generate offense through.
Players of the game
For Philadelphia – Tobias Harris. The former Piston proved he’s worth the $180 million he was paid this summer, torching Detroit for 29 points and 7 rebounds on 66 percent shooting from the field, and 66 percent from beyond the arc.
For Detroit – Derrick Rose. The former MVP continued his dominance from inside the paint, as well as his consistent mid range shot. He was one of the only productive things about Detroit’s offense tonight despite committing 6 turnovers. He scored a season high 31 points on 66 percent shooting.
Key moments
With 8:47 remaining in the third quarter the Pistons found themselves up by 13 points. Harris proceeded to score 8 unanswered points, and 11 straight for the Sixers to put them on a 12-0 run. This shifted the momentum of the game, and the Pistons had trouble with consistency on both sides of the floor for the remainder of the game.
Nick’s notes
It has proven to be a very difficult task to win when Griffin is out, despite the Pistons doing it just a few nights ago. To come in against a Sixers team who was without Joel Embiid, and to commit 23 turnovers and shoot 58.3 from the free throw line is flat out unacceptable. This is a game that Detroit couldn’t let get away from them, and they did.
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To begin the second half with your same unit that started the game – despite their inefficiency and inability to create offense, is unacceptable. I understand you don’t want to completely disrupt the flow of your second unit, but the fact that zero adjustment was made is disheartening.
Drummond was in foul trouble for a majority of the game, but when he was on the floor the Sixers did a tremendous job of not allowing him to be involved. They swarmed the paint and put multiple bodies on both him and Rose whenever they entered the paint.
If there are any silver linings from this game, it’s that the second unit for the Pistons for the third consecutive game delivered when it mattered most. The backcourt of Kennard and Rose was effective once again, and luckily Christian Wood even got significant minutes tonight, scoring 11 points and 6 rebounds in 19 minutes.
This is a tough loss, and I’m frustrated with virtually every single aspect of the game. The errant passes and constant miscommunications on offense have to be cleaned up. On to Indiana.