The Sixers welcomed the Pistons into the Wells Fargo Center for a Friday night matchup. The 76ers came into the contest on a 2-game slide but Detroit arrived with a 6 game losing streak. After jumping ahead and leading by double-digits for the majority of the 1st half, the Pistons(15-22), led by Josh Smith, bounced back and shut down Philly in the second half to win it. Final score: Detroit 114, Philadelphia 104. After winning 4 straight on the road last week, the Sixers (12-24) have now dropped 3 in a row.
The 76ers started hot, hitting 9 of their first 10 shots. Philly held a 22-7 lead early in the opening quarter with solid contributions from all of their starters. James Anderson returned to the starting lineup for the first time with November 29, after Coach Brown recognized his streak of solid play of the bench. Philadelphia held a 36-28 lead after the 1st quarter. The 2nd quarter was evenly matched; and the Sixers took an 8 point lead into halftime.
The second half was like a completely different game. The Pistons came out scorching hot, opening on a 15-2 run as the Sixers struggled to respond. Detroit took their first lead, 70-69 after Brandon Jennings hit back-to-back from beyond the arc. After shooting over 50% in the first half, the Sixers only connected on 31.9% of their second half attempts. The Pistons big men were a force to be reckoned with as the team had 14 blocks for the game and out-rebounded Philly 62-42, with 25 offensive boards. Despite this the Sixers still managed to score 64 points in the paint. The game was still in question, 100-98, with 5 minutes remaining but the Pistons would score 9 straight as the Sixers let the game slip away. The Sixers lost 114-104.
Spencer Hawes had an all-around game for the Sixers, grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out 6 assists to go with his 16 points. Young finished with a team-high 22 points and 2 steals while Turner 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 19 points. MCW scored 21 points, swiped 4 steals and added 4 assists. Anderson scored 10 points and secured 8 boards in his return to the starting lineup.
Josh Smith stuffed the stat sheet for Detroit, scoring 22 points, collecting 13 rebounds, and passing out 7 assists. Smith was a force on defense, blocking 5 shots and recording 4 steals. Jennings scored 19 to go with his 6 assists. Greg Monroe scored 15 and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Drommund secured 12 boards and turned away 6 shots.
The Sixers will face the division-rival Knicks on Saturday. While the Sixers have dropped 3 in a row, the Knicks have won three straight games.
By: Matt Ryan
The second half was like a completely different game. The Pistons came out scorching hot, opening on a 15-2 run as the Sixers struggled to respond. Detroit took their first lead, 70-69 after Brandon Jennings hit back-to-back from beyond the arc. After shooting over 50% in the first half, the Sixers only connected on 31.9% of their second half attempts. The Pistons big men were a force to be reckoned with as the team had 14 blocks for the game and out-rebounded Philly 62-42, with 25 offensive boards. Despite this the Sixers still managed to score 64 points in the paint. The game was still in question, 100-98, with 5 minutes remaining but the Pistons would score 9 straight as the Sixers let the game slip away. The Sixers lost 114-104.
Spencer Hawes had an all-around game for the Sixers, grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out 6 assists to go with his 16 points. Young finished with a team-high 22 points and 2 steals while Turner 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 19 points. MCW scored 21 points, swiped 4 steals and added 4 assists. Anderson scored 10 points and secured 8 boards in his return to the starting lineup.
Josh Smith stuffed the stat sheet for Detroit, scoring 22 points, collecting 13 rebounds, and passing out 7 assists. Smith was a force on defense, blocking 5 shots and recording 4 steals. Jennings scored 19 to go with his 6 assists. Greg Monroe scored 15 and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Drommund secured 12 boards and turned away 6 shots.
The Sixers will face the division-rival Knicks on Saturday. While the Sixers have dropped 3 in a row, the Knicks have won three straight games.
By: Matt Ryan