DETROIT — The Philadelphia 76ers comfortably defeated the Detroit Pistons 123-111 in the NBA at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday (8). James Harden led the way for the 76ers with triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
”I hate to you use this example, but when he’s playing like this, it’s like having a scoring Magic Johnson on the floor,” Sixers coach Doc Rivers said. ”When he runs our team with this kind of pace and he scores and gets assists, we’re really good.”
Killian Hayes led the Pistons with 26 points, six assists, and three steals in the defeat.
Tyrese Maxey top-scored for Philadelphia (24-15) with 23 points, and Montrezl Harrell contributed 20 points and six rebounds. Paul Reed also had a strong game, ending with a double-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and added three steals.
The 76ers had a strong first half, leading 71-54 at halftime and shooting 51.9% from the field. The Pistons fought back in the second half, with 19 of Hayes’ points coming in the second half and three players scoring at least 20 points. Despite their efforts, the Pistons ultimately fell short.
Rivers praised his team’s depth and unselfish play, stating, “The end showed how deep we are…Our whole room has bought it.”
Isaiah Stewart recorded a double-double for the Pistons with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Bojan Bogdanovic added 20 points.
Hamidou Diallo had 12 points, and 7 rebounds, and Alec Burks and Jaden Ivey both scored 10 points for Detroit, which finished 50.6% on 44 of 87 shooting from the field.
The 76ers outscored the Pistons in points in the paint, 68-64, and had a significant advantage in second-chance points, 20-6.
”Our defense was pretty good, we took care of the ball and I think everyone competed hard,” Maxey said. ”Even someone like Paul Reed comes in and gets nine points and eight offensive rebounds. He plays with so much energy that the other team can’t keep up.”
The Pistons were missing two of their three rotation big men –Jalen Duren and Marvin Bagley III –due to injury.
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