Without Cunningham, the Pistons fail with a significant defeat against the Sixers

Detroit – Coach JB Bickerstaff has valued the NBA’s in-season tournament since its inception last season. However, he didn’t like having back-to-back sets after a tournament game. Bickerstaff described it as “extremely difficult” because a team has to compete in a playoff-like atmosphere and return to normal play less than 24 hours later.

After their third in-season East Group B tournament game, Bickerstaff promised the Detroit Pistons wouldn’t change their approach Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers. However, they persevered a 111-96 loss at Little Caesars Arena. It came less than 24 hours after the Pistons posted a 130-106 NBA Cup road win over the Indiana Pacers.

However, the timing was one of many factors that contributed to the loss. With less than 30 minutes to play, leading scorer Cade Cunningham was a late scratch due to a sprained left sacroiliac joint. It’s the same injury that forced him to miss three straight games before returning Friday night against the Pacers. The Pistons are 9-13 overall and 1-3 without Cunningham.

Malik Beasley scored a team-best 19 points and Jaden Ivey recorded 15 points and five assists. The subpar schedule and Cunningham’s injury forced Bickerstaff to move deeper to his bench. Marcus Sasser scored 12 points while Wendell Moore Jr. scored 11 points.

Given the low energy on both sides, the Pistons appeared to be anything but a team on the verge of advancing to the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup.

The Sixers (4:14) came to Detroit rested and took an early 22-7 lead. Philadelphia had not played since its overtime loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. In addition to the rest of their roster, the Sixers welcomed All-Star Paul George back to the lineup.

George missed the last three games because of a bone bruise in his left knee. He scored 11 points (4 of 12 field goals, 1 of 2 on 3-pointers) and added eight rebounds and five assists in his return. Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 28 points.

Observations vs. Sixers

▶ A small glimmer of hope: The Pistons’ second-quarter performance was the only time Detroit showed a glimpse of an improbable comeback. They outscored the Sixers 32-20 in the period and cut their one-time 18-point deficit to 54-50 after Beasley hit a 3-point field goal with 1:34 left. They shot 50% in the period and Beasley scored 11 points.

▶ Bobi Klintman injury update: Newbie Bobi Klintman has missed all 22 games this season due to a bruised calf he suffered in the first week of training camp. Bickerstaff announced before the game that Klintman was on track, but his recovery has taken longer than the team originally expected.

▶ Injuries have derailed the Sixers’ season: The win against the Pistons gave Philadelphia its fourth win of the season and second in its last nine games. However, the ankle injury Andrew Drummond Three minutes into the game is the best example of the Sixers failing to achieve their championship goals.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Without Cunningham, the Pistons fail with a significant defeat against the Sixers

Leave a Reply Cancel reply