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Sixers seek success against Pistons at The Palace

Dec 1, 2013 - 2:53 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The surprising 3-0 start for the Philadelphia 76ers seems like ancient history and they will try to find success on the road Sunday against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Sixers are 3-11 since winning their first three games and have dropped three straight and seven of their previous eight games, including Friday's 121-105 setback to Jrue Holiday and the New Orleans Pelicans. Holiday was traded by the Sixers to New Orleans on draft night and posted 20 points and 13 assists. Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis had 26 and 22 points, respectively.

Tony Wroten led the 76ers with a career-high 24 points off the bench, Evan Turner added 22 points and Thaddeus Young chipped in 15 and 12 rebounds. Spencer Hawes returned to action because of a knee issue and had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Sixers, who shot 45.7 percent and committed 19 turnovers.

The Sixers did not come closer than eight points in the fourth quarter and trailed by as many as 18.

"We're not even 20 games in yet, so you can't really get too up and down emotionally. You just have to find a way to figure it out and keep working," said Turner, who has scored 20-plus points in three of the past four games.

Rookie Michael Carter-Williams had 10 points and 10 assists in the loss.

Philadelphia has struggled on defense this season and has allowed 100-plus points in 15 of its 17 games. The Sixers are also playing poorly on the road and are 0-6 since defeating Washington in the road opener on Nov. 1. They were 11-30 on the road last season and haven't posted a winning road mark since going 23-18 in 2002-03.

Meanwhile, the Pistons have dropped two in a row and four of their last six games. They are coming off Friday's 106-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, as Rodney Stuckey scored 22 points and both Greg Monroe and Brandon Jennings ended with 19 apiece. Andre Drummond had 13 and 11 rebounds for Detroit, which shot 44 percent from the field and had a 55-44 rebounding edge.

The Pistons, who started the game with a 16-7 lead, had an 87-77 edge at the end of the third quarter. However, a 15-3 run by the Lakers in the final stanza was the difference.

"At some point we've got to make shots," Pistons head coach Maurice Cheeks said of the struggles toward the end of the game.

Josh Smith had eight points and recorded a season-high 19 rebounds in a losing effort. He is eight games shy of 700 in his career. Detroit scored a season- high 76 points in the paint and lead the NBA in that category (51.1).

Detroit took two of three meetings with Philadelphia last season and is 11-5 in the previous 16 matchups between the teams at The Palace.

After the Pistons host the 76ers they will open a three-game road trip Tuesday against Miami, Milwaukee and Chicago.