76ers Bounce Back With Dominant Win vs. Pistons on Sunday
The Philadelphia 76ers closed out their weekly slate on Sunday afternoon with a matchup against the Detroit Pistons on the road.
Coming off of their first loss in four games, the Joel Embiid-less Sixers struggled against the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately for Philly, they didn’t get much healthier for Sunday’s game.
Not only did Joel Embiid remain off the floor due to foot soreness, but the veteran forward PJ Tucker was also ruled out due to a non-COVID illness.
Sunday’s matchup between the Sixers and the Pistons marked the second matchup between the two Eastern Conference competitors. In the first outing back in December, the Sixers defeated the Pistons 113-93, building a two-game win streak over the Pistons.
Philly searched for similar success on Sunday as they looked to avoid forming a losing streak.
Quarter Breakdown
1st Quarter
With Embiid and Tucker out of the mix on Sunday, the Sixers expectedly rolled with their typical three-guard lineup of James Harden, De’Anthony Melton, and Tyrese Maxey. Keeping Harris at the power forward position, the Sixers promoted Montrezl Harrell to the starting lineup for the night.
With both teams attacking the paint early on, the Sixers and the Pistons engaged in a physical matchup. Philly found success early on, garnering a 20-13 run to begin the matchup. The Pistons chipped away at Philly’s lead after a timeout halfway through the quarter.
But the Sixers’ ability to drain 54 percent of their shots and shoot 3-6 from three gave them an edge. The Pistons knocked down less than 15 percent of their three-point attempts and turned the ball over five times. As a result, the Sixers found an edge, going up 35-27 early.
2nd Quarter
The Sixers didn’t waste time attempting to pull away with a notable lead. As the veteran forward Georges Niang fired off a couple of three-pointers within the first couple of minutes of action in the second quarter, the Sixers got up by 13 points early on.
As Philadelphia cooled down, struggling from the field for a bit, the Pistons were slowly beginning to chip into Philadelphia’s lead. Fortunately for the Sixers, their success in the offensive rebounding department helped them amid their stint of struggles from the field. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers rebounded on 43 percent of their missed shots.
It wouldn’t be long before the Sixers would improve their shooting from the field. Overall, they hit on 50 percent of their second-quarter shots. And while the Sixers weren’t as efficient as the Pistons from three, they still knocked down five shots from beyond the arc, compared to Detroit’s two makes.
With an impressive offensive scoring burst in the first two-quarters of action, the Sixers were led by Montrezl Harrell in the scoring department, as the big man produced 16 points on 70 percent of his shots. Meanwhile, James Harden was on triple-double watch as early as the second quarter, as he wrapped up the first half with 13 points, ten rebounds, and nine assists in 17 minutes.
Putting together a 16-3 run before the end of the second quarter, the Sixers went into halftime with a significant 71-54 lead.
3rd Quarter
It didn’t take long for James Harden to notch his triple-double for the night. With a bounce pass to an attacking Tobias Harris, the veteran forward rewarded the pretty pass from Harden with a basket, which gave the ten-time All-Star his tenth assist, allowing him to pick up the triple-double.
Shortly after Harden snagged his tenth assist, the veteran center Montrezl Harrell reached a season milestone as he notched his season-high in scoring with two baskets to get him 20 points in the third quarter. Harrell has now scored over 15 points in three-straight games for the first time in a Sixers uniform.
Collectively, the Pistons had a decent third quarter, draining nearly 50 percent of their shots and scoring 28 points. Once again, though, the Sixers just played much better. As a team, they knocked down ten of their 19 shots. Tyrese Maxey led the way in the third quarter, producing 11 points in ten minutes. The Sixers outscored the Pistons by one, which allowed them to go into the fourth quarter with a 100-82 lead.
4th Quarter
The Sixers wouldn’t find themselves falling asleep at the wheel in the third quarter after a dominant first half. With a notable lead going into the final quarter of the night, the Sixers were going to soon rely on their reserves to close out the matchup.
The young veteran center Paul Reed set the tone for the fourth quarter. As the backup center was active in the scoring and rebounding department, showing tons of hustle, the Sixers got an extra dose of energy from the young reserve.
While Detroit continued shooting well at the start of the fourth quarter, the Sixers would trade baskets with the home team. By the time the matchup was halfway through the fourth quarter, the Sixers started clearing their bench, allowing Furkan Korkmaz and Danuel House Jr. to check in for the first time and help the Sixers close out the game.
Philadelphia wrapped up its Sunday showing with a 123-111 victory, defeating the Pistons for the second time this season.
