Sunday represented an important early checkpoint for the Philadelphia 76ers: the first back-to-back game of the year, on the road against the Detroit Pistons.
Philly’s full-strength starting lineup is unquestionably one of the most daunting in the NBA. But two of its most crucial pieces, LeBron James and Joel Embiid, are expected to be rotated regularly throughout the year, whether that be due to age for the former or injury history for the latter.
James sat out the first leg of the back-to-back on Saturday, a comfortable road win against the rebuilding Milwaukee Bucks. Embiid, as it happens, recorded his 10th career triple-double.
But on Sunday, it was Embiid’s turn to stay on the sideline, and the result should leave head coach Nick Nurse nervous about just how critical the big man is to his team’s success.
Philadelphia 76ers’ first loss comes without Joel Embiid
Philadelphia fell to Detroit Sunday night, 106-93, after giving up an early 20-4 run to the Pistons and never once holding a lead of their own. The Sixers trailed by as many as 21 points and could only manage to cut the deficit to 5 late before Detroit ran away with it to hand Philly its first loss of the season, which Embiid officially sat out due to injury management.
And if one stat jumps out of the box score, it’s rebounds: Detroit, despite also missing its own star center Jalen Duren due to injury, ended the night with a 54-37 advantage on the boards over the Sixers, including a 15-9 edge on the offensive glass.
The issue was perhaps most apparent on the game-sealing possession, in which Paul Reed and Kevin Huerter claimed consecutive offensive rebounds before a kick-out to an open Daniss Jenkins in the corner for three gave the Pistons an 11-point lead with just over a minute left to play.