Shorthanded Sixers Sputter Out in Second Half

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Detroit 125, Philadelphia 111 – Box Score

Saturday night wasn’t your usual Process-era Sixers lineup. Given the number of injuries the team is dealing with following Friday’s purge, 3 of the available 10 players were 29 years of age or older. That’s likely the first time in a couple years where that has been the case. Maybe that played a role in the Sixers showing tired legs as the game wore on, given it was the second night of a back-to-back.

Or maybe the Sixers are just really bad. Either way, the Pistons dropped 73 points in the second half Saturday, erasing a couple double digit Philadelphia leads and denying the Sixers their first winning streak of the season.

As has so often been the case this season, defense was the culprit for Philadelphia. All 5 starters for the Pistons finished with at least 19 points, as Detroit shot 53.8% from the field. Reggie Jackson dropped a game-high 24 points and 10 assists, as no Sixers guard showed any inclination of stopping Jackson from getting into the lane at will. Andre Drummond did his usual bit dominating on the glass with 15 rebounds.

For the Sixers, Isaiah Canaan was outstanding offensively, scoring a team-high 22 points on 4-5 shooting from behind the arc. He also did more than just jack threes for a change, getting to the charity stripe and knocking down 8 of 9 free throws. Canaan also got into a jawing match with Steve Blake late in the game, for which each player received a technical foul.

Carl Landry started again and tied a season-high with 18 points. Each day, Landry continues to strengthen his case to be traded to a contender for a 2nd-round pick in the offseason. His veteran front court partner Elton Brand put forth a solid performance with 10 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

The Sixers will next face Brooklyn on Tuesday night, one of the two teams in the NBA Philadelphia has beaten more than once this season (I see you, Phoenix). It’s as good a chance as you’ll find for another Sixers victory, if not necessarily an aesthetically-pleasing game. 16 left, everybody.

Other Game Notes:

• Sonny Weems made his Sixers debut and shot 1-5 from the field for 2 points in 8 minutes. He wore JaKarr Sampson’s #9, which was an odd choice considering you figure they’re going to retire JaKarr’s number pretty soon.
• In actual number retirements, the Sixers hung the #4 of the late, Hall-of-Famer Dolph Schayes up to the rafters during a halftime ceremony. Nerlens Noel is grandfathered in and will be the last member of the Sixers to ever wear that number. Dolph’s son Danny Schayes, speaking during the ceremony, told Noel to “Represent the #4 with ferocious rebounding, just like my dad.”
• In what was terrific news Saturday, Robert Covington was released from the hospital and sat on the bench during the game in street clothes. He is in the league’s concussion protocol, but fortunately, it wasn’t something more serious after the scary collision on Friday.