Sluggish Philadelphia 76ers fall 111-91 to Pistons in Detroit

A lackluster defensive effort spelled doom for the Philadelphia 76ers, as Andre Drummond and the Pistons only needed one half to seal the win.

A snow storm in Detroit prevented many fans from showing up to the game Wednesday night. I’m not sure what the 76ers’ excuse was.

The Sixers got absolutely shellacked by the Detroit Pistons at the Palace in Auburn Hills on Wednesday, losing 111-91 and it really wasn’t even that close. The Pistons were led by Andre Drummond (12 points and 18 rebounds in only 26 minutes) and the newly acquired Tobias Harris, who finished with 22 points and was 7 for 7 from the field at halftime. Hollis Thompson paced the Sixers with 19 points, although most of that came in garbage time.

A disastrous first half spelled doom for the Sixers, particularly on the defensive end. It was a parade of open 3s and lanes to the hoop for the Pistons, and they took full advantage of it shooting 52% in the first half compared to 35% for the Sixers. The Sixers were also down 19-4 in second chance points at halftime, and were badly outrebounded as well. Coach Brown gave the starters a chance to redeem themselves in the 2nd half, but by halfway through the 3rd quarters he had pulled Nerlens Noel and company in favor of the bench mob.

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There really was very little to like about this game. Kendall Marshall got his first extended run in ages and promptly showed why it was his first extended run in ages. Nerlens Noel and Ish Smith were non-factors while on the court. Jahlil Okafor had an ok game on offense, although he could have been much more aggressive, particularly when Andre Drummond was off the court. And the defense, oh that defense! The rotations were slow, the rim protection was completely absent, and general confusion reigned on the defensive end. The Sixers gave up 111 points, and that was their best defensive showing in 5 games! The Sixers are allowing opponents to score 119.8 ppg over that span. That is NOT going to get it done.

Much has been written on the Sixers defensive woes this year, particularly with respect to the damage that having Nerlens play PF does to the Sixers defensive pressure. The Sixers were 13th in the league last year in Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions), while this year they sit at 22nd. Okafor’s presence (or lack there of) in the middle is part of that, as is some personnel changes (8 of top 10 defenders from last years team, as measured by defensive rating, are gone). Still though, I’m honestly surprised that Brett Brown can’t coach up the D a bit more. The effort being put forth by the team simply fails the eye test at this point. Is it possible that the positive energy and attitude the Sixers have miraculously been able to display the last 2 years has finally run out? It’s fair to say the fans feel that way at this point.

The Sixers most ardent supporters will argue that the lapse in defense this year is simply part of “The Process,” and I think that is likely true. However, Coach Brown has repeatedly said that the Sixers culture and identity begins with defense. If that is true, then where did we go wrong? Again, it’s not fair to judge the Sixers long term defensive potential based on this squad’s performance, but how does one reconcile the gap between the proposed “culture” and what we are witnessing?

Next: Sixers Loss to Pistons: Grades

My guess is we don’t get any answers this year. However, some improvement, even incremental, on the defensive end might make the rest of this season slightly more bearable to those of us still Trusting.