Coming off their 130-120 win against the Toronto Raptors last night, the 76ers have a test tonight as they square off against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons. A second night of a back-to-back for Philadelphia means no Joel Embiid, but they will have the services of Jared McCain.

The Sixers had two early turnovers, which led to a good start from Detroit. Ausar Thompson opened the game aggressively, scoring a quick five points. Tyrese Maxey missed his first couple of baskets, but a drive near the midway point of the quarter put Cade Cunningham in early foul trouble. 

After Maxey knocked down those free throws, he was able to find Andre Drummond for a slam and tacked on a 16-footer of his own to close the early gap created by Detroit. 

The Sixers held Cunningham scoreless through one, but it was his playmaking and his teammates keeping Detroit ahead 37-32. Duncan Robinson had two first-quarter threes while Jalen Duren was flirting with a double-double early. Quinten Grimes finished the quarter with five points, while Drummond had eight points, including a three. Maxey and VJ Edgecombe shot a combined 1/8 in the first quarter but both put pressure on the rim and got to the line.

The teams started the second quarter swapping turnovers and baskets. Through the first four minutes, Detroit had four turnovers while Philadelphia had three. Grimes and Jabari Walker picked up where they left off in the second, scoring eight of the first ten points of the quarter. Walker continued his scoring once Grimes went to the bench as he hit his second three of the night. 

Philadelphia not only gained the lead, but extended it to six off a McCain steal and assist to a Maxey three. The Sixers forced eight Detroit turnovers through nine minutes in the second, and that was the main contributor to a 12-4 Philadelphia run. 

The Sixers took a 64-54 lead going into halftime. Detroit was held to just 17 points in the second quarter, and Cunningham was just 1/9 from the field with two points. Maxey finally got his offense going, scoring eight in the second quarter and 14 in the half. Drummond, Walker, and Grimes were a pleasant scoring punch as a trio, scoring 10, 12, and 10 points, respectively. 

Third quarters have been a struggle for the Sixers so far this season, so their ten-point lead would be put to the test. Detroit went on a 9-0 run that featured Cunningham scoring a quick five points, but Trendon Watford ended the run with a breakaway basket and then a feed to Drummond. 

After the Pistons' timeout, Maxey and Drummond yet again extended the lead, this time to 13 with a pair of layups from Maxey and Drummond's second three of the night. That said, the Pistons aren't contenders for no reason. After the run from Philadelphia, Detroit responded with a 10-2 run, forcing Nick Nurse into a timeout.

After a Duren floater, Cunningham forced a turnover off of Walker and found Duncan Robinson in transition for a three. Robinson would also convert on a fastbreak layup off a missed Kelly Oubre Jr. mid-range jumper. Cunningham would bring the game to a tie with a drive hook, and a three-pointer as he began to come alive.

Cunningham would finish with 17 points in the third quarter and would help his team regain the lead at 88-85. Philadelphia was outscored 19-4 in the final five minutes as the struggles out of the half continued. 

Maxey retrieved the lead for the Sixers with a layup, followed up by a three-pointer. His layup was their first made field goal in nearly five minutes of game action. Duren responded with two trips to the line and a layup to bring the Pistons lead back up to five.

After falling behind 100-98, a series of offensive boards led to a corner three from Maxey as Philadelphia regained their lead. The Pistons responded with a Thompson two-pointer but failed to extend as Edgecombe and Drummond got their hands on a Ron Holland layup attempt. 

Trailing 109-104, Maxey punched a fastbreak dunk and knocked down a pair of free throws to hit the 30-point mark for the sixth time this season and making it a one-point game. He wasn't the only guard who turned things on in the second half as Cunningham responded with a fadeaway with 16.9 seconds remaining, putting the dagger in the Sixers' comeback hopes. Despite a solid effort from Maxey to get a good look on the last possession, he was unable to hit the three to tie the game. Detroit escapes with a 111-108 victory. 

The Sixers host the Boston Celtics for their third matchup of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 11th at 8 pm.