PHILADELPHIA–The Philadelphia 76ers returned home to host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday looking to sweep both the home-and-home series and the season series between the two teams. The Pistons were missing a lot of key pieces and it showed in this one.
Philadelphia led by as many as 41 as they took care of business and destroyed the undermanned Pistons at home 147-116. Joel Embiid returned from a three-game absence and he had 36 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Sixers, and he looked his aggressive best in order to lead the way.
James Harden had another triple-double with 16 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds, Tobias Harris had 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting and six rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey had 16 points as well. PJ Tucker also chipped in with six and eight rebounds as the Sixers played with their regular starting lineup for the first time since Oct. 29. Shake Milton had 11 points and five assists, Jaden Springer had 10, and Montrezl Harrell had eight off the bench.
Here are the player grades following the win:
The Beard was magnificent to start this one as he had seven points, five rebounds, and five assists in the first quarter alone. He did a really good job of just getting into the paint and being able to have success on the offensive end. Obviously, Philadelphia is at its best when the pace is being pushed and that is reliant on Harden getting into a rhythm and running up the floor. He didn’t take many shots in this one, but he didn’t have to as the Pistons were not much of a challenge.
The young man out of Kentucky was able to get going on offense in the second quarter. With Harden on the bench, the offense ran through him and he was able to score rather easily. He had a nice stretch when he went right through Rodney McGruder for an easy basket and he followed that up with a mid-range jumper off a spin move and triple. In the second half, he was able to get to the basket with ease and the Sixers were able to run away with this one.
Looking to set the tone, Harris scored the first seven points for Philadelphia in this one. He did a really good job of getting to his spots and being able to handle business on the offensive end. He was much more aggressive on the offensive end in this one compared to the win in Detroit on Sunday. This is the type of effort Philadelphia needs more consistently from Harris on a nightly basis.
The veteran continues to…
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