Philadelphia 76ers Take on the Pistons: 5 Reasons to Watch

The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to stay within reach of the 8th seed in the NBA playoffs by defeating the Detroit Pistons.

Six weeks ago, the odds of the Philadelphia 76ers making the playoffs had to be much higher than the nearly impossible task set forth for the next 21 games. Still, there is the slimmest of chances, and that long climb into the hunt from six games out could start by defeating the Detroit Pistons at home on Saturday night. Currently, Detroit holds the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Either way, there are a number of reasons Philadelphia fans should expect a strong showing.

Justin Anderson

It’s easy after his showing against Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks, to claim you had faith in the Nerlens Noel trade. I have faith in Bryan Colangelo because he already proved me wrong in the Ersan Ilyasova deal, and he proved me right in avoiding a Jahlil Okafor trade once the market was weakened by the DeMarcus Cousins fire sale.

Now we have Justin Anderson, who recently showed he can defend Carmelo Anthony like no other Sixer in the past few years, plus he has some offense that can be effective in the paint and on the perimeter. I also like his approach, which is tough and fiery.

Must Read: Anderson's Breakout Game for the Sixers

We won’t know who he might match up against from the Pistons, but Marcus Morris could be the target. I would be willing to bet Morris does worse than the 19 points he put up against the Sixers last time out. Tonight can begin to prove that Philadelphia was not the biggest loser during the trade deadline, and I expect Justin Anderson to score 15 or more points and limit his assignment for the second game in a row.

March Madness

There have been a few bad games in the past month where Brett Brown and his lineup have barely looked ready to play, especially in the wake of Joel Embiid‘s injury. March began with one of those games, a 27-point blowout at the hand of the Heat.

More from The Sixer Sense

This is not the team that we have watched fight through most of their schedule, and I expect them to fight like they have nothing to lose for the second night in a row against the Pistons. They should finish this three-game home stand with three wins, and this will be the biggest test. The Sixers are a professional team, but they are a young team, so if Detroit wants to escape with a win, they will need to play a complete game. There will not be a better home crowd around the NBA tonight, and players like Anderson, Dario Saric, T.J. McConnell, and Richaun Holmes feed off that energy.

Point Guard Play: T.J. McConnell vs. Reggie Jackson

This is the match-up that will determine the outcome of the game. T.J. McConnell has established himself as the starting point guard, but he has struggled distributing the ball. Dario Saric has led the team in assists two of the last four games. Saric and McConnell have become a solid tandem, but the Sixers need at least six assists from McConnell tonight.

This is entirely possible since McConnell nearly managed a triple-double in their first match-up of the season. Reggie Jackson has fallen so out of favor with Stan Van Gundy that he is considering removing him as the starter. Ish Smith was a solid contributor to Philly last year, but advantage Sixers if some sort of point guard drama plays out tonight.

Defense in The Paint

When Philadelphia lost by 17 points in February, Detroit’s bigs dominated the game against a similar lineup that the Sixers will put out tonight. Morris and Andre Drummond combined for 35 points and had an astounding +33 and +27 in the plus/minus category while on the court.

They are not the only average bigs who have given the Sixers fits in the past month (with Embiid out), but they are the defensive focus tonight. Okafor is going to have to compete physically and begin taking the questions about his defense personally by at least matching the eight rebounds he pulled against the Knicks. Based on the pure knowledge that weak paint defense cannot be cured overnight, Saric, Anderson, and Robert Covington are going to have to pull their weight by helping in the paint to prevent the easy baskets that would sink the Sixers.

Clear the Benches

Even though the Philadelphia 76ers do not have as much depth on the bench as they did earlier in the season, they still have made a habit of outplaying their opponents’ benches. If both teams have to give somewhere in the range of 20 minutes to their reserves, Sergio Rodriguez, Timothe Lawawu-Cabarrot, and Richaun Holmes will outperform Ish Smith, Tobias Harris, and Stanley Johnson.

Next: Sixers Need to Let Sergio Rodriguez Walk

Last time they met, Rodriguez and TLC combined for 19 points on 50 percent shooting. The primary Pistons’ reserves, on the other hand, shot in the mid-thirties percentage-wise. A fast game will force the reserves to become a factor and neutralize the Sixers’ deficiencies in defending the paint.