The Philadelphia 76ers' first showing of game action following a quiet trade deadline ended in a disheartening 125-112 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Despite the Big 3 of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George taking the floor together for the 11th time this season, the performance was subpar.

Head coach Nick Nurse offers an explanation for the rough night in Motown.

“We didn’t come out with any speed or juice or energy at the start,” a very upset coach Nick Nurse stated, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “They were just not one step, they were three steps faster than us on everything. They were up the floor fast. Lots of transition buckets. The ones we did get them to miss, they got just about every rebound. Just outworked us.”

The 76ers fell behind 78-49 at halftime, with virtually no defensive effort from Philadelphia's starting group, as the shorthanded Detroit squad dominated on both ends of the court.

“Him and just about everybody else had a tough first half, right?” Nurse added. “What did we give up there, 78 in the first half? That’s inexcusable.”

General manager Daryl Morey went out on a limb suggesting this 76ers roster is still built for a championship, but that certainly doesn't look to be true at the moment.

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76ers don't offer fans much hope following disastrous Pistons effort

Jan 31, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse reacts against the Denver Nuggets in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center.
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The 76ers didn't do much to quell fans' heartache before Thursday's trade deadline, and after everything that was witnessed during Friday's matchup, it's safe to say that the frustration has only escalated.

“I think the addition of a bunch of guys back,” Nurse added. “I don’t know if that changes our mindset — that we’ve got more talent on the floor or more depth or whatever, but like I said to you before, we’ve kind of built a style of play up and when these guys re-enter, we’ve got to kind of keep that going. They weren’t able to do it in the first half. We looked more like it in the second half, but it was too late.”

With three games remaining before the All-Star break, the 76ers have an opportunity to improve the morale before a potential playoff push.