The 76ers completely dismantled the Detroit Pistons Friday night to the tune of a 114-78 win, improving to 19-19 on the season.
Less than two hours before facing the Pistons (20-17), who were sitting at 6th place in the East, Sixers coach Brett Brown talked about his two all-star hopefuls, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, and what it would take for them to be featured in the NBA’s all-star festivities this year in L.A.
“Do you win? That’s the thing that tips it,” Brown said. “You have sort of a popularity contest that goes on for a while, and then you have a respect vote, and we’re looking for the respect vote.”
If respect for creating a win is what Simmons and Embiid are looking for, they made a strong case on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Simmons opened up on a tear, scoring 11 points and dishing out three assists by midway through the opening quarter, and he didn’t let up. He finished the game with 19 points, nine assists, and four rebounds.
Embiid was right there with Simmons, complementing every move and helping to open up driving lanes while also getting his shots. He closed out the night with with a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds.
With the Sixers’ two biggest stars making easy work of beating the Pistons, the rest of the team fed off their energy and benefitted from the added attention they demanded from Detroit’s defense. JJ Redick completed two four-point plays en route to 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
The Pistons, who were without their starting point guard, Reggie Jackson (right ankle sprain), were paced by Tobias Harris with 14 points and shot just 38 percent on the night.
With 1 minute, 3 seconds left to play in the third quarter the extended their lead to 40 points over the Pistons on an Embiid jumper. The lead was the Sixers largest in a game since a 43-point lead against the Dallas Mavericks on March 17, 2017.
Embiid once again showed off the range he has on both ends of the floor as a shot-blocking threat and a three-point shooter.
With five seconds left in the first quarter, Detroit’s Dwight Buycks found himself guarding Embiid, just moments after having his shot emphatically blocked by the 7-foot-2 center. Embiid recognized the mismatch and promptly took Buycks to the hoop, swinging his arms through to generate a foul and then converting on the three-point play as the Sixers took a 32-15 advantage.
The Sixers continued to gain ground with defense leading to offense. With three minutes left in the second quarter Simmons stole the ball when Avery Bradley made a bad pass. The ball rolled right along the sideline but Simmons stayed with it and went into overdrive on his way to a heavy-handed dunk.
With a 36-point advantage heading into the final quarter, the Sixers’ starters, who all finished in double-figures, were given well-deserved rest and the remainder of the bench closed out the game.
Justin Anderson, who has not played since Nov. 15 because of shin splints, returned to the lineup, playing 8:28 and picking up four rebounds and an assist.
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