Sixers takeaways: Shooting woes persist, Andre Drummond’s presence and more from loss to Pistons
The 76ers’ third-quarter woes continue. And it, once again, denied them a statement victory over a winning team.
At least one bright spot was that Andre Drummond showed that he’s still a rebounding machine who can be a solid contributor.
Jabari Walker also proved he can help off the bench.
But Jared McCain needs to work on his conditioning and defense.
Those four things stood out in the Sixers’ 111-108 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Second-half woes
The Sixers led 64-54 at the half thanks to shooting 47.8% from the field, including making 7 of 14 three-pointers. But that lead dwindled, and the Pistons took an 88-85 advantage into the fourth quarter after the Sixers shot 38.1%, including 2 of 8 three-pointers – in the third.
“We actually started the third quarter pretty good,” Tryese Maxey said. “We went on a couple of runs, made them call a timeout, and it just went downhill from there.
“Sometimes we can’t get a rhythm in the third quarter, and we got to do a better job of that.”
To their credit, the Sixers kept fighting and took a 101-100 lead on Tyrese Maxey’s three-pointer with 4 minutes, 54 seconds left. Then, after the Pistons built a five-point cushion, Maxey closed the gap to one point (109-108) on his pair of foul shots with 31.4 seconds remaining.
And down 111-108, they had a chance to force overtime on the final possession. However, Maxey missed a 25-foot three-pointer right before the buzzer.
The Sixers made just 6 of 17 shots from the field and 3 of 11 three-pointers in the fourth. As a result, the Sixers were limited to 36.8% shooting – including making 5 of 19 three-pointers – in the second half. They were also doomed by committing 20 turnovers for the game.
Asked what’s attributing the struggles, coach Nick Nurse said, “It’s just basketball.”
“I think you are watching other games, too,” Nurse continued. “And you are watching them go back and forth a little bit. It’s just basketball.”
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The Sixers have struggled to make shots in the third quarter in several of this season’s games. However, they were unable to overcome that against the Chicago Bulls and Pistons, two of the three teams they’ve faced with winning records. The Sixers also lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the other winning team they have played.
On Sunday, Maxey finished with a game-high 33 points. Nineteen of his points came in the second half on 6-for-15 shooting. Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes, and VJ Edgecombe combined to shoot 3-13 after intermission.
Drummond’s presence
There was a belief at the beginning of the season that Adem Bona was the Sixers’ best backup center/starter option when Joel Embiid doesn’t play. That’s because at 32 years old, Drummond can’t run the floor like the 22-year-old Bona.
However, the 14th-year veteran showed that he’s still the superior rebounder and less likely to get in foul trouble. So on Sunday, Drummond got the start at center with Embiid not being cleared to play on both nights of back-to-backs.
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And Drummond didn’t disappoint, finishing with 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block. The 6-foot-11, 279-pounder put his imprints on the game early. He tallied eight points, four rebounds, and two assists in the first quarter. The highlight was his corner three-pointer with 9 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Showing that wasn’t a fluke, Drummond drained a second three-pointer to put the Sixers up, 77-66, with 6:44 left in the third quarter.
Those were his third and fourth three-pointers of the season. Drummond also came into the contest averaging 5.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in 16.6 minutes.
Walker shows shooting touch
Nurse has been encouraging Walker to attempt three-pointers. Even though he struggled, the Sixers coach told him to keep shooting. The vote of confidence was a good thing for the reserve power forward.
Walker entered Sunday’s game 0-for-7 from deep. However, he drained his first two attempts during what was a stellar first half.
Walker had 12 points before intermission on 5-for-6 shooting, along with five rebounds. He was a plus-nine in 12:16. The two-way player didn’t shoot the ball during his stint in the third quarter. But if Walker can continue playing like he did in the first half, he’ll definitely garner solid minutes.
McCain’s minutes
McCain missed all three of his shots while failing to score in 8:51 off the bench. He did, however, record an assist and steal in his second game back since December. He also failed to score while missing all four of his shots during Tuesday’s season debut against the Bulls.
“I think he’s got some work to do,” Nurse said when asked how McCain looked against the Pistons. “I think, for sure, he’s just trying to figure out where he fits in right now.
“Again, this would be about the second time I thought the stint in the second half, conditioning-wise, looked challenging for him. So we’ll just keep at it.”
As expected, McCain is rusty due to being sidelined months after suffering a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee on Dec. 13. He was supposed to return in time for training camp, but a torn ligament in his right thumb cost him the first six games of this season.
