Scene Setter:
The 76ers (7-39) are in the midst of their most successful stretch of the season, having won three of their past five games. On Wednesday at 7:30 PM EST, they finish up their 10th back-to-back set with a road match-up versus the Detroit Pistons (24-21) at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Should the Sixers earn a victory, they would do so in consecutive contests for the first time since the middle of last March.The Sixers’ task against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday was a straightforward one. At minimum, they sought to cap a two-game homestand by competing with stronger effort and greater spirit than what they displayed in their previous outing, a 112-92 loss to the Boston Celtics. The mission was accomplished. The Sixers established a seven-point lead by the end of the opening quarter, doing so behind the proficiency of Robert Covington’s three-point shooting. He knocked down three straight triple attempts in the period, and collected 19 points overall. Ish Smith helped the Sixers get to the finish line, generating 10 of his 20 points in the final frame of the club’s 113-103 win. The outcome resulted in the Sixers sweeping a season series from an opponent for the first time this year. They last swept a season series from the Suns in the 2010-2011 campaign.In the Detroit Pistons, the Sixers will confront a foe that has made substantial strides. Sitting three games over .500, Detroit currently occupies seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, and is seeking its first post-season berth since 2009. The Pistons previously compiled a winning record during the 2008-2009 slate. They didn’t reach 24 victories – their present total – until their 67th game a year ago. Not surprisingly, Detroit, anchored by fourth-year center Andre Drummond, is one of the NBA’s better rebounding teams, outdoing their opponents by nearly 4.5 boards per game. Drummond himself tops the league in rebounding (15.2), and double-doubles (37). Series: Since Brett Brown took over as the Sixers’ head coach for the 2013-2014 season, the team has beaten the Detroit Pistons four times, representing Brown’s highest win total against any one opponent in the NBA. The Sixers, however, fell to Detroit, 107-95, in their first meeting of the year on December 11th at The Center. The Pistons quickly set the tone by ripping off the game’s first 11 points, en route to building a 35-14 margin through the opening 12 minutes of play. By the time the night was over, Detroit had managed to outscore the Sixers by 12 points from three-point territory, and – perhaps most notably – held a 31-18 advantage in points created off turnovers. Nerlens Noel recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Jahlil Okafor racked up a game-best 22 points, hitting 10 of his 18 field goal attempts. Subplots:
Based on Brett Brown’s pre-game comments Tuesday, the Sixers will be without Jahlil Okafor when they pair up with Detroit. The rookie big man recently came down with a case of gastroenteritis, and was too ill to play against Phoenix. Several other factors further hampered the Sixers’ depth in their win over the Suns. JaKarr Sampson was also unavailable because he was sick. Flu-like symptoms hit Jerami Grant as well, but he still managed to start, and produced 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes. Isaiah Canaan hurt both of his wrists in Sunday’s 20-point setback to the Boston Celtics, and was limited to 10 minutes. On top of all that, during Tuesday’s game itself, Robert Covington was hit in the eyes, and Nik Stauskas sustained a left knee contusion. Both were able to finish the contest. Brett Brown said, “I thought the toughness we showed without Jahlil and JaKarr , I thought Isaiah ‘gutsed’ it out. I thought Nik came in and had a bounce to his game. Robert carried over his mojo a little bit with 12 attempts, and making five threes out of those twelve. I thought our defense was good, and our toughness was good.””We talked about that after the last game and coming into [Tuesday] that that effort we gave against the Celtics was unacceptable,” said Stauskas, who generated 15 points, four rebounds, and four helpers. “Everyone just had to step up and give a better effort. We showed that, even though we were a little banged up.”In all, Brown used only nine players Tuesday. As a result of the Sixers being short-handed, Elton Brand was placed on the active roster for the first time since re-signing with the team earlier this month. He did not appear in the game.
Ish Smith, who netted a Sixers-best 20 points against Phoenix, came within one assist of manufacturing his 11th double-double and fourth 20-point, 10-assist performance of the season. That he wound up with another nine-assist effort was no small feat, and kept him among pretty exclusive company. He is now tied for sixth in the NBA with 15 such games, ranked ahead of the likes of present and past All-Stars guards James Harden (14), Damian Lillard (14), Stephen Curry (13), Kyle Lowry (9), Jeff Teague (8), and Tony Parker (4).Following the Sixers’ bounce back win, Smith spoke about his ability to facilitate. “The way I am, I’m a pass-first point guard, so you got to have trust with everybody,” said Smith, one of six Sixers to notch a double-digit point total. “I’m not just going out there shooting, scoring. I love actually when our guys make plays, me and for others. The more assists we get as a team, I think you can look at the stats, the better we are.”The Sixers, as a team, posted 25 assists Tuesday. Their record improved to 4-4 when reaching that mark.
Throughout this season, defense has been one of the primary factors that has fueled Detroit’s improvement. Entering Wednesday’s game with the Sixers, the Pistons ranked 10th in the NBA in points allowed per game (100.1), and 11th overall in defensive rating (101.1 points allowed per 100 possessions). Another telling indicator of Detroit’s defensive prowess was the club’s performance against the explosive Golden State Warriors on January 16th. On that night, the Pistons earned a 113-95 victory, becoming just the fourth team this season to topple the reigning champions. Not only was Detroit the fourth squad to hold the NBA’s highest-rated offense below 100 points, the Pistons also limited the Warriors to a 36.2 field goal percentage and 18 assists, both season-lows. Andre Drummond, Detroit’s fourth-year center, has proven to be a defensive anchor. “We need to really get back to how we were playing earlier in the year, when we were a defensive-team first, and allowed the offense to come to us,” Drummond said following back-to-back losses suffered by the Pistons last week. They surrendered a total of 219 points between the two games. “Once we get that again, we’ll be right back to where we were.”Sure enough, Detroit, its next time out, buckled down, posting a 95-92 triumph over the Utah Jazz on Monday, even with Drummond being held in check for seven points and six rebounds.
Sixers Health Report:
Elton Brand (conditioning)
Jahlil Okafor (gastroenteritis)
JaKarr Sampson (upper respiratory infection)
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