PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers played host to the East-leading Detroit Pistons on Saturday looking to keep their playoff push going in the right direction. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Sixers needed a strong effort to knock off the top team in the East.
The Sixers gave it their best shot, but in the end, the Pistons proved to be too much. Detroit walked out of Xfinity Mobile Arena with a 116-93 win as it swept the 4-game season series from the Sixers. Former Sixer Tobias Harris once again was rained down with boos, but had 19 points for Detroit while Daniss Jenkins had 16 points and 14 assists.
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The Sixers received 20 points and five rebounds from Paul George while Tyrese Maxey had 23 points and VJ Edgecombe had 19 points and six rebounds. Adem Bona added 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.
Here are the player grades following the loss:
Tyrese Maxey: B-plus
The Pistons are such a physical bunch that will make life tough on any opponent, and that was the case for Maxey in this one. He had a tough time staying in front of Detroit’s ball-handlers as the Pistons got into the paint and were able to throw lobs to Jalen Duren with ease. With that being said, Maxey was able to find a rhythm on the offensive end with his quickness to the basket and finishing. The big issues in this one were his defense and the Pistons limiting his opportunities to get into the paint and make plays for others.
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VJ Edgecombe: B
The Pistons are such a physical bunch that will make life tough on any opponent, and that was the case for Maxey in this one. He had a tough time staying in front of Detroit’s ball-handlers as the Pistons got into the paint and were able to throw lobs to Jalen Duren with ease. With that being said, Maxey was able to find a rhythm on the offensive end with his quickness to the basket and finishing. The big issues in this one were his defense and the Pistons limiting his opportunities to get into the paint and make plays for others.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: D
It was a tough start for Oubre as there were some defensive miscues leading to some easy Pistons buckets and he couldn’t get going on the offensive end. He did knock down a 3-pointer after a slow start, but he wasn’t able to get much else going.
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Paul George: B-plus
Playing in his first back-to-back of the season, George found a rhythm early. He found a groove with his jumper as he was able to throw in a number of 3-pointers in the early going, and when the Pistons tried to play up on him, he put the ball on the floor, and was able to convert in the mid-range. He was fantastic on the offensive end as he gave the Sixers a big lift offensively. The fact that George was able to play this well on the second night of a back-to-back is encouraging for Philadelphia as he continues to make big strides since his return from suspension.
Andre Drummond: C-plus
The Sixers turned to Drummond in order to combat Duren as he has the size and strength to do so, but Drummond was caught in some tough situations in the pick-and-roll as the Pistons found ways to get Duren some easy lob slams. On the flip side, Drummond was able to be effective rebounding the ball and making plays for others with his passing.
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Dominick Barlow: C
Moving to a reserve role, Barlow hopped off the bench and played with a ton of energy as he was all over the place on the defensive end. He had a block and two free throws in his initial stint. The issue for Barlow in this one was the fouling as he was unable to stay in front of ball-handlers.
Adem Bona: B
It was an effective first stint for Bona as he found some easy buckets on offense just by running the floor and being able to get some easy slams. He was also effective defensively as he used his athleticism and energy to bother Duren a bit on some of his drives to the basket. He was big on the offensive glass as he came up with some important putbacks for Philadelphia’s offense.
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Quentin Grimes: D-minus
The initial stint for Grimes was a struggle as he missed his open opportunities on 3-point looks and struggled on the defensive end. It wasn’t much better in the second half as he was unable to convert on his looks and had a tough turnover in the fourth when the Sixers tried to rally.
Cam Payne: Incomplete
Payne was unable to knock in his 3-point opportunities, but he was able to give the Sixers some offense with some drives to the basket. He was ruled out at halftime due to a right hamstring strain.
Justin Edwards: Incomplete
The Sixers turned to Edwards in the second quarter and he had some good defensive moments in five first half minutes.
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This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Paul George, Sixers fall short to Pistons at home
