NBA: 76ers pummel lowly Pistons for sixth straight win
Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the first quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center on December 21, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP
Joel Embiid had 22 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Detroit Pistons 113-93 on Wednesday.
Tobias Harris added 17 points and James Harden contributed 15 points and eight assists for the Sixers, who won their sixth in a row on a seven-game homestand.
De’Anthony Melton scored 12, Georges Niang added 11 and Montrezl Harrell had 10 for the Sixers, who continue to play without Tyrese Maxey (fractured left foot). P.J. Tucker pulled down 10 rebounds.
Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 18 points, Killian Hayes added 12 and Saddiq Bey had 11. Marvin Bagley III had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in with 10 points for the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight.
The Sixers jumped out to a 58-41 lead when Shake Milton dropped in a 3-pointer from the wing with 5:33 remaining in the second quarter.
After an empty Pistons possession, Embiid scored for a 19-point advantage.
Hayes soon hit a short jumper, Ivey threw down a dunk and the Pistons closed within 15.
The Sixers led 63-51 at halftime thanks in large part to 14 points from Embiid and 12 from Harden.
22 PTS | 10 REB | 6 AST | 4 BLK
your friendly reminder to vote @JoelEmbiid for NBA All-Star here: https://t.co/cvlSROpvEC
🎥 presented by @palottery pic.twitter.com/VBYu031G9o
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 22, 2022
Detroit took just seven 3-point shots in the opening half and made two.
Harris hit a short turnaround jumper in the lane, Harden followed with a layup and the Sixers surged to a 75-57 lead with 7:58 left in the third. The Pistons scored the next five points before Harris received an alley-oop pass from Milton and dunked for a 15-point lead.
Detroit tightened defensively and Ivey drove to the basket and scored with 2:58 remaining to slice the deficit to 83-74.
The Sixers then proceeded on a 9-0 run to go ahead by 18.
Philadelphia held a 92-78 advantage at the end of the third.
The game became a bit sloppy in the opening four minutes of the fourth with the Sixers ahead by 17.
Melton then knocked down consecutive treys and Philadelphia went ahead 104-83 with 6:27 to go.
