The 76ers fall to 0-4 without Embiid in tonight’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, 119-104. Philadelphia never held a lead in this game. Foul trouble, poor shooting, and poor performances from the free-throw line plagued the Sixers throughout this game and were the main reasons for the loss.

Lack of Shooting

The 76ers, as a team, shot only 32.9% from three tonight, only making nine deep balls tonight with our leaders being Tobias Harris (3) and Danny Green (2). After a string of fantastic games, Shake Milton had his third straight game with 10 points or less. Milton wasn’t any help from long range either, shooting 0-3, combined. Seth Curry had an off-night shooting 2-10 from the floor and 1-4 from beyond the arc. The Sixers shot 75% from the line, which was highlighted by three consecutive misses from the stripe after a technical and flagrant foul.

Foul Trouble

Ben Simmons found himself in foul trouble early in this game, which is something he has uncharacteristically struggled with so far this season. Simmons finished the game with only four personal fouls, but it forced him to miss massive portions of this game. Going back to Milton, he was also forced to watch from the sidelines due to foul issues. Milton ended the game with five fouls which hindered his flow during the game. While these two stood out the most, Tobias Harris (4) and Dwight Howard (3) added to the lack of discipline that the Sixers showed tonight.

Highlights

This was not a fun game to watch, as all the Embiid-less games have been so far this season. Tobias Harris remained consistent with 25 points while shooting 10-19 from the floor and 3-6 from deep. Naturally, Simmons and Thybulle were both active defensively in this game, adding a combined four steals. Not so naturally, Tony Bradley played well tonight, scoring 12 points, and grabbing 9 boards. Maxey was the main substitute in Shake Milton’s foul trouble induced absence and was able to score 17 points. Also, in classic Mike Scott fashion, he jumped out from the bench to defend his team even while out with an injury.

Pistons Leaders

To give credit where it is due, the Pistons played well. As a team, they shot just under 45% from three, and 50% from the floor. Jerami Grant got back to form, scoring 25 points and snagging 8 rebounds. Delon Wright, unsurprisingly, had a great night and dropped a career-high 28 points on 4-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Even with the loss, Philadelphia is still atop the Eastern Conference, so save the panic. The Sixers are back in action again on Wednesday night on a national stage against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY