Detroit Pistons 106, Philadelphia 76ers 93

The Philadelphia 76ers lost for the first time this season, and they never held a lead. The Detroit Pistons won 106-93 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday by doing two things better than the Sixers all night: making threes and finishing possessions with the rebound.

Detroit went 14-for-34 from deep against Philadelphia's 7-for-27, a 21-point gap from three alone. It also won the glass 54-37. The Sixers outscored Detroit 52-42 in the paint and committed six fewer turnovers, and none of it was enough to close the distance.

The Pistons are 3-0. The Sixers fall to 3-1.

How it was won

The first quarter decided the shape of the game. Detroit scored 34 points in it to Philadelphia's 22 and led by 12 after one. The Sixers spent the remaining three quarters trying to get back to even and never did.

The second quarter finished 22-22, leaving Detroit up 56-44 at the half. Philadelphia won the third 25-23 to cut the deficit to 79-69, and the fourth was close, 27-24 to Detroit. But the margin at its widest reached 21, and the Sixers never had a stretch long enough to threaten it.

Cade Cunningham ran the game for Detroit with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, hitting 3 of 8 from three. Duncan Robinson added 21 points on 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Daniss Jenkins gave Detroit 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and made 3 of his 4 threes. Between them the three went 11-for-21 from beyond the arc.

Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 29 points but was 1-for-5 from three. LeBron James scored 18 with 5 assists, and Jaylen Brown had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, going 2-for-6 from deep. Outside of Maxey and Brown, the Sixers were 4-for-16 from three.

The overall shooting told the same story: Detroit made 44 percent of its field goals (38-of-87), Philadelphia 40 percent (36-of-90). Both teams left points at the line, with Detroit 16-of-25 and the Sixers 14-of-23.

The Sixers did force 17 Detroit turnovers against their own 11 and controlled the interior. With a 17-rebound deficit, though, the extra possessions from turnovers were largely given back on the boards.

Against the number

Detroit closed at -1.5, so a 13-point win covered comfortably. On the moneyline, Detroit closed at -130 and Philadelphia at +110.

The total was the bigger miss. It closed at 228.5, and the teams combined for 199, going under by 29.5 points. Neither side reached 35 in any quarter after Detroit's opening period, and the Sixers' 7 threes kept their half of the scoreboard well short of the pace the market expected.

The full closing board and price history are on the game page.

What's next

Philadelphia goes on the road Wednesday, October 28, to face the Indiana Pacers, on ESPN and DAZN IND. The Sixers are 1-0 away from home so far, having won 106-100 at New York in the opener. The questions from Sunday are straightforward: whether the shooters around Maxey can find a better rhythm from three, and whether the rotation can hold its own on the defensive glass.

Detroit leaves Philadelphia unbeaten at 3-0. Its next game will be listed on its team page once the schedule is posted there, along with prices when the market opens.