Cade Cunningham used a big second half to lead the Pistons to a comeback win over the Sixers, with Philadelphia falling 111-108 in the second half of their weekend back-to-back. Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points but missed his shot to tie the game on a broken final possession following a Nick Nurse timeout. Here’s what I saw.
### Role Player Night
When you’re asking your young stars to play the most minutes per night of anyone in the NBA, you occasionally need role players to step up and carry you on dead legs nights. The second night of a back-to-back certainly qualifies. After Tyrese Maxey logged 43 minutes to get the Sixers a win vs. Toronto, he needed some help in the follow-up.
Jabari Walker, one of Philadelphia’s two-way acquisitions this offseason, had the highest expectations but has largely disappointed in his minutes to open the season. He struggled to get rolling from three and did not impact the game much on defense. He finally found his groove against Detroit, canning an open corner three to open his account from downtown for the season. That shot gave him the confidence to step into a much more difficult transition three on the right wing.
By halftime, Walker already had a smooth 12 points and five rebounds, leading Philadelphia in scoring for most of the half. But it was his dirty work that earned Walker some starting nods early in the year, and that continued against a rough-and-tumble Pistons team that threw the Sixers around early in the game. He grabbed three offensive rebounds in the first half and scored a few quick buckets on second-chance possessions to bail out questionable guard decision-making and shot attempts. It never looks pretty, but Walker’s night was effective.
### Andre Drummond’s Return to Form
Frankly, I shouldn’t have waited this long to talk about Philadelphia’s starting center. Andre Drummond was given a start on Sunday, well-earned given Adem Bona’s poor play to start the year. Drummond is giving far more than anyone could have hoped for after last year’s difficult season.
This looks like the version of Drummond the Sixers hoped to get when they brought him back—as both an elite backup to Joel Embiid and a credible fill-in starter. If this is the guy they get all year, I can buy into Drummond’s current stretch-big act, especially given how confidently he’s knocking down jumpers.
Beyond hitting occasional threes, Drummond adds significant pressure on both rims. The Pistons took several fouls climbing on Drummond’s back for loose balls, but he did his job at the charity stripe to avoid those fouls becoming costly. On defense, Drummond was key to slowing down Cade Cunningham, Detroit’s star guard and undisputed leader. The Sixers played high and hedged aggressively to force the ball out of Cunningham’s hands early, with Drummond showing length at the point of attack before recovering to the rim.
Drummond’s active hands and improved conditioning allowed him to make far more plays at the rim and navigate the cat-and-mouse game better than in recent years. Although Cunningham caught some momentum in the third quarter and closed the game out impressively, that had little to do with Drummond’s solid contributions.
Even Adem Bona had moments to celebrate, blocking three shots and playing more disciplined defense than usual. Broadly, this was a very good game from the Sixers’ supporting cast.
### Tough Night to Be a Guard
Detroit earned this win by doing a better job defending Tyrese Maxey for 2.5 quarters than any team has to date. With Ron Holland and Ausar Thompson—two long, menacing athletes—the Pistons switched seamlessly on perimeter defense, denying Maxey the ball early and crowding him when he eventually got it. This made life tough for Maxey, as Detroit entered the game as a top-three defensive team.
It felt even tougher for rookie Edgecombe, whose poor shooting nights have been piling up over the past week. Teams are speeding him up and baiting him into awkward mid-range shots inside the arc. His lack of balance and tendency to lean and fade have led to inconsistent—and often bad—results.
Edgecombe’s struggles against pressure defense were noted during his college days at Baylor. While he has shown some progress, attempting behind-the-back moves to split defenses, the execution isn’t quite there yet. His game featured rookie mistakes such as dribbling off his own foot and loose crosscourt passes. He’ll need to refocus to avoid slipping into a extended slump.
Another concern is Edgecombe’s foul trouble around the basket. Currently, he seems to be giving away too many free throws with little defensive benefit. He’ll need to foul smarter or pull his hands back to prevent opponents from getting cheap points at the line.
Compared to Edgecombe, Maxey has more tools to shake off rough starts offensively. Even during a slow start, Detroit respected Maxey’s catch-and-shoot ability. He turned that respect into some tough runners in the third quarter, gradually working himself into the game and appearing poised to lead a closing run. The Pistons did well to keep him from unleashing the lightning-fast scoring bursts that have fueled his season so far and generally prevented the Sixers from applying consistent downhill pressure.
Still, Maxey came through late in the game, hitting huge threes to keep Philadelphia within striking distance and streaking down the floor in transition for crucial free throws. It was a tough fight from the young Sixers, just not quite enough.
### #McCainWatch
Eric Gordon checked into Sunday night’s game ahead of Jared McCain, who was a DNP in Saturday’s matchup with Toronto. This isn’t panic time, but McCain’s stockholders have to be at least a little nervous.
It would be one thing if Nurse was going bigger with his rotation, playing just Maxey, Grimes, and Edgecombe in the backcourt. With Oubre, Justin Edwards, Watford, and Jabari Walker, Nurse could make a positional size argument against a Detroit team dominating early on the glass and in transition. But that argument went out the window when Gordon came in as part of a three-guard lineup, contributing little during six first-half minutes.
McCain is still searching for his offensive legs while adjusting to a big, bulky knee brace he recently described as “essentially dragging another leg around.” Despite this, he showed flashes—making a nice move to the basket (albeit a layup sent into the second row by Jalen Duren), recording a blindside steal, tipping loose balls away, and demonstrating good positional awareness.
This is the most you can ask for in his second game back post-injury. Once his minutes increase and he regains comfort, concerns about his place in the rotation may fade. For now, we keep watching his development.
### Other Notes
The Sixers had a horrendous final possession, showing zero situational awareness by taking 16 seconds for just one shot in a three-point game. It was as bad as it gets in clutch moments.
This game also highlighted how much Philadelphia’s winning has depended on Kelly Oubre. In the first half, he continued his outstanding run, scoring the game’s first two points after Andre Drummond slapped the opening tip into the frontcourt. Oubre provided a valuable off-the-dribble threat from the wing, especially deep in the shot clock. With several Pistons players battling foul trouble in the first half, Oubre pressured Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson off the bounce and moved well as a cutter for easy baskets.
However, his night slowed after halftime as he struggled to make threes and contribute offensively.
And please, for the love of the game, fellas—stop fighting each other on defensive rebounds.
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The Sixers fought hard against a tough Pistons team, with solid contributions from role players and stars alike. But on this night, Detroit’s resilience and late-game execution made the difference.
https://allphly.com/instant-observations-tyrese-maxey-scores-33-in-sixers-loss-to-pistons/
