Sixers collapse late, lose in overtime

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - This game unraveled like a yo-yo, and no matter how frantically the 76ers pulled back, it wouldn't return to them.

First, it was one missed free throw, then another, then a spinning three-pointer by the Detroit Pistons, and finally eight unanswered points to start overtime.

The 76ers are no strangers to these types of soul-sucking losses, but Saturday's 112-109 overtime defeat to the Pistons seemed especially painful.

How exactly did it go down?

Of the 20,038 inside the Palace of Auburn Hills, only a few thousand remained in their seats. Most had already trudged toward the exits, resigned to another Pistons loss, while a couple of hundred folks watched from the concourse entrances as Sixers guard Lou Williams toed the free-throw line with 6.2 seconds remaining. His team leading, 99-96, Williams needed to make only 1 of 2 free throws to release everyone into the frigid Michigan night.

Williams missed the first, which probably set off alarm bells inside the heads of most Sixers fans. And then he missed the second, which, if history is any indication, made it nearly a given that Detroit would capitalize on its ensuing possession.

After a time-out, the Pistons inbounded and found Austin Daye, who spun over his right shoulder and nailed a 23-footer from the left corner.

The Sixers dropped to 15-22. The Pistons improved to 12-24.

Shocked and disappointed, the Sixers made the Pistons look like all-stars during the first 3 minutes, 52 seconds of overtime: another three-pointer by Daye, a dunk by Daye, and three free throws before the Sixers scored a point.

By the time the Sixers began collecting what they'd lost, they trailed by 107-99 with only 1:40 left on the game clock. Guard Jodie Meeks missed a difficult, leaning, 28-foot three-pointer at the buzzer.

When Sixers coach Doug Collins substituted for Williams at game's end, he put his arm around Williams and whispered something while the two walked toward the end of the bench.

"I told him those free throws did not lose the game. I have his back in everything that he does; he's one of my best players," Collins explained. "I want him to understand that as long as he ever plays for me, those plays did not lose the game for us. They still had to hit a three."

"Just encouraged me basically, just saying those two free throws didn't cost us the game, which - like I said - it could have iced it, but they still had to hit that three," said Williams.

Saturday's loss can be added to a long list of games the Sixers should have won: two games at the Washington Wizards, a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and a road game against the Atlanta Hawks.

"Everybody takes account when they do something wrong. They put it on their shoulders," said point guard Jrue Holiday, whose 15 points was the third-highest total for the Sixers behind Elton Brand's 17 and Evan Turner's 19.

"We're all disappointed," Collins said. "My God, [if we'd won], we wouldn't have even needed a plane to get home."