The Sixers sputtered on offense against a tough Pistons group, falling 106-93 to Detroit for their first defeat of the season. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia in scoring with 29 points, but struggled along with his fellow co-stars for most of the first three quarters.
The Sixers have taken the phrase “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” a bit too literally to start this year, opening two of their first four games with the energy of a tranquilized elephant. And you have to point the finger at two of their biggest stars in this one, because Philadelphia’s available stars were horrific on offense to start the game.
LeBron has added a ton of value to this team already. But his scoring has lagged behind his other contributions, and I think you can see his age showing the most when he tries to turn on the burners in the half-court. He is still as strong as an ox, able to shield players of all types from contesting him at the rim, but Detroit did a fairly good job of sliding along with him to prevent him from getting the initial angle. LeBron didn’t help himself at the line, either, missing three consecutive free throws to start the night.
Kaynak: PHLY Sports