Tyrese Maxey felt the Sixers lacked mental toughness against a depleted Pistons team on Friday. The Sixers led by 12 in the third quarter but fell apart down the stretch in a 114-105 loss.
“You’ve got to be physical back,” Maxey told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You got to be extremely physical. You got to be mentally tougher than them. I don’t think we were mentally tough. Early on we did a good job, but once they were on a couple of runs you got to stay with it. Got to stay mentally tough.”
Dominick Barlow looked at the outcome as a missed opportunity.
“They outworked us,” Barlow said. “They made shots, credit to them. But we got to win that game.”
Here’s more on the Sixers:
- Kelly Oubre Jr. didn’t play in the second half due to a left knee injury. He’s scheduled to have an MRI on Saturday, Pompey reports. Oubre came into the contest averaging 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 11 games.
- Barlow returned after missing nine games due to a right elbow laceration. He racked up 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. “It was fun,” Barlow said. “Obviously, disappointed with the outcome. We’ve got to be better as a group. But it’s great playing. I love playing.”
- VJ Edgecombe scored 18 points in the loss. The third overall pick in the draft is averaging 15.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists along with 1.3 steals in his first season. “He’s the first player I’ve had that, at this age, has this much poise,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told James Herbert of CBS Sports. “He sort of plays like a guy who’s been in the league for a bit, which is pretty remarkable, given it’s very, very hard to be good early in the NBA.”
I have to admit that I like what I see from Barlow so far – I think that he and Watford can actually be a credible tandem at PF for us this year.