Pistons can't escape Embiid, drop fifth straight in loss to 76ers

You didn’t need a special pair of glasses to spot the brightest star in a Detroit Pistons uniform during the first half Tuesday night.

But Jaden Ivey's red-hot performance cooled off in the final two quarters and was ultimately eclipsed by the reigning MVP at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as Detroit fell to the 76ers for its fifth straight loss, 120-102.

With Pistons centerpiece Cade Cunningham (left knee management) missing his fourth straight game, Ivey scored 17 first-half points while shooting four-for-five from 3 but could only watch as 76ers center Joel Embiid mowed down 37 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists throughout the contest.

Ivey finished with a team-high 25 points plus five rebounds and four assists while knocking down six of eight 3-pointers.

Evan Fournier scored 21 points on seven of 11 shooting and Jalen Duren had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit (13-66). The Pistons couldn't overcome a team shooting slump to close the third quarter and saw a one-point deficit quickly turn into a 35-13 run for the 76ers that put the tilt out of reach.

"Came up short," Pistons coach Monty Williams said. "We had that moment when it was a one-point game, I thought their physicality kind of took us out of our pace and the ball stuck and we just couldn't get enough movement and pace because that was giving us some life in the second quarter, and in particular, the third quarter."

BOX SCORE: 76ers 120, Pistons 102

Asked about his level of frustration over the hot hand resulting in another loss, Ivey said, "Honestly, not frustrated at all."

"I thought we played hard to the final seconds. We gave ourselves a great chance to win the game," Ivey said. "I can't complain with that. ... We give ourselves the best chance when we step out there and play hard and compete, and I thought we did that tonight, so no complaints."

The 76ers were playing without guards Tyrese Maxey (hip) and Kyle Lowry (knee) but saw the return of Embiid, who missed the 76ers’ last game on Sunday in San Antonio. Philadelphia was 29-8 with Embiid and 15-27 without entering Tuesday. Buddy Hield scored 18, Kelly Oubre Jr. 17 and Tobias Harris 15 for Philadelphia.

The 76ers scored 60 points in the paint compared to 32 for the Pistons and held a 33-12 advantage in second-chance points as Philadelphia won the battle on the offensive glass, 16-9.

Twenty-two of Embiid's 37 points came on 3-pointers or free throws. Williams gave props to Pistons big man Jalen Duren, who was tasked with covering Embiid for most of the evening.

"With Joel trying to get himself back into shape, we had to move him around," Williams said. "If you look at all of his points tonight, they were pretty much standstill 3's and free throws. But outside of that, I thought [Duren's] pace tonight was a benefit to us."

The Pistons quickly fell into a hole behind 10 early points from Embiid. Ivey led the Pistons with 11 first-quarter points but was also a source of the team’s inability to find a rhythm in the opening frame. He accounted for three of the Pistons’ five turnovers in the first quarter. 

Malachi Flynn drove for a layup that cut Philadelphia’s lead to 27-22 with nine seconds left in the quarter but 76ers rookie guard Ricky Council IV drilled a buzzer beater on the other end to make it 29-22.

The Pistons got a 3-pointer from Evan Fournier to begin the second quarter but quickly coughed up the momentum again as Flynn committed turnovers on the two possessions that followed, leading to a 40-27 lead for the 76ers after a Buddy Hield layup. Fournier started the game four-for-four from the field with three 3-pointers and had 15 points in just 7:42 of game time. 

After Embiid scored three straight buckets for the 76ers to make it a 49-36 game, the Pistons scored on consecutive possessions and then went on a 10-2 run — culminating with a pair of 3-pointers from Ivey that pushed him to four-for-four from deep on the night — to cut their deficit to 51-46 with 4:40 to go in the half.

Ivey would commit two fouls in a 20-second span to help Philadelphia distance itself, 57-46, just 1:11 later. The 76ers carried a 64-52 lead on the scoreboard and a 9-1 turnover differential into halftime.

"I thought in the first quarter we played in the crowd and we turned it over and we gave them so many offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points," Williams said.

Embiid committed three fouls and three turnovers in the opening 2:39 of the third quarter, giving the 76ers big man four total fouls before fans returned with their popcorn for the second half. Kelly Oubre also picked up a quick pair of fouls. The Pistons entered the bonus with a whopping 8:45 left in the frame and cut the deficit to 69-61.

After Embiid got to the free-throw line to make it a double-digit 76ers lead once again, Ivey responded with a 3-pointer to turn it into a seven-point game. Sasser drilled a pair of 3-pointers to draw the Pistons within a point, 71-70.

Embiid, who's battled a left knee injury, appeared to aggravate his surgically repaired meniscus while trying to prevent a ball from going out of bounds midway through the third quarter. He did not, however, aggravate his scoring rhythm. Embiid scored four consecutive points in the paint to help Philadelphia regain its distance.

After Sasser's 3-pointer, the Pistons made just two field goals in the final 7:06 of the third quarter as the 76ers gained a 90-78 lead entering the fourth, where things didn't get any better for the road team. After the Pistons hit a pair of buckets to begin the frame, they went three minutes without a point, culminating with a hook shot by Duren to make it 106-85.

Out of the under-six minute timeout, Embiid put an exclamation point on the evening with a 3-pointer to give him a game-high 37 points.

The Pistons now turn their attention to Thursday night’s home finale at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m.) against the Chicago Bulls. Detroit is 7-32 at home this season.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi