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The Philadelphia 76ers' three-game, season-opening winning streak came to an end with a 106-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.
The Sixers started sluggishly and they were quickly outscored 12-1 out of the gate. They were never quite able to climb back into the game after that, as the Pistons led for the entirety of the contest. At one point in the second quarter, Detroit's lead ballooned all the way up to 21. While the Sixers were able to make some inroads, the game never felt especially close and it ultimately ended in their first loss of the season.
Tyrese Maxey led the way for Philadelphia with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, while LeBron James added 18 points, 5 assists and 2 rebounds.
Every game provides lessons to be learned, especially losses. So, here's a look at two things we learned about the Sixers in their first loss of the season.
Joel Embiid missed his first game of the season for Philadelphia on Sunday night, and the Sixers decided to go small in his absence. They started Dean Wade, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jaylen Brown alongside James and Maxey, leaving James as the de facto center. Unsurprisingly, the Pistons punished the Sixers on the glass to the tune of 54-37.
This was a concern for the Sixers heading into the season, as they're relatively small on paper and really only have one other true center on the roster behind Embiid in Adem Bona. To his credit, Bona had his best game of the season against Detroit as he tallied 6 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks in 25 minutes. Behind him though, there was just no size with Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow and Tacko Fall all injured.
The eventual return of those guys should help on the glass for Philly, but team rebounding is going to have to be a collective focus for Philly, especially in games when Embiid is out.
When it comes to how the Sixers can fix their early-season rebounding woes, LeBron has some ideas.
LeBron James on what the Sixers need to do to fix their rebounding woes: “In the great words of Taurean Prince … the ball goes up into the air, and then you go grab the ball …” pic.twitter.com/cHBjUS5kdr
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 26, 2026
Rookie guard LaBaron Philon Jr. got his first meaningful run of the season against Detroit, and he did decently with the opportunity. Philon played 13 minutes in the game and tallied 5 points, 2 rebounds and an assist. He knocked down two of his four shots from the field and one of his two shots from beyond the arc.
first NBA bucket for the rookie @LabaronPhilon 👏 pic.twitter.com/Pv959jyZtG
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 25, 2026
Philon looked comfortable out on the floor, and that level of comfort will only increase with added opportunity. VJ Edgecombe's absence paved the way for Philon to see more minutes against Detroit, as the backcourt in Philly is pretty crowded when everyone is healthy. But, Nick Nurse might want to see some more of Philon moving forward. Sixers fans certainly do.