Tobias Harris, 76ers Benefitted From Early Night vs. Pistons

With a dominant win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, Tobias Harris and the 76ers should be well-rested for Friday's matchup against Los Angeles.

Wednesday’s matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons was the first meeting between the two Eastern Conference teams. At this point in the year, it’s clear that both teams are headed in different directions.

The Pistons, who entered the game at 8-25 sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, are in the midst of a rebuild. Meanwhile, the Sixers were red-hot at 17-12 on a five-game win streak, as they hope to make a deep run in the postseason this year. 

While Philadelphia entered Wednesday’s game heavily favored over Detroit, the Sixers struggled to put together dominant wins against weaker or shorthanded opponents as of late. Therefore, it was difficult to assume the Sixers would put Detroit away with ease.

But the Sixers proved they could find success early enough to allow some of their key players to have a shorter shift night on Wednesday night.

Through the first half of action against Detroit, the Sixers led by as many as 19 points. Going into the fourth quarter, Detroit trailed 92-78. While all starters except for PJ Tucker played in the fourth quarter, the Sixers were able to clear the bench and allow starters to get some additional rest as they cruised to a 113-93 victory.

“We want to get to the point in fourth quarters where we know we have the game,” said Sixers forward Tobias Harris. “Obviously, we’re going to play great teams that’s not going to be the case. They’re going to be hard-fought games. But, for us as a group, we know the teams that we should go out and have a lead and maintain a lead. Being able to have the comfort in the fourth quarter to get guys less minutes and have guys that come off the bench play more minutes is good for us. So, we know, as a group, that’s always been our mindset. We just haven’t really been able to do it that much this year, but hopefully, tonight starts some of that.”

For Harris, he’s averaged 34 minutes on the court in 27 games this year. On Wednesday night, the veteran sharpshooter spent just 21 minutes on the floor. Meanwhile, PJ Tucker and De’Anthony Melton both spent fewer than 24 minutes on the court.

While Joel Embiid and James Harden still checked in for over 30 minutes, they still played below their average, which is good since they were able to rest more between Wednesday’s win over Detroit and Friday’s tough matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.