After the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons 97-86 earlier in the season, the two team faced up against each other once more.
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons have been two of the more surprising teams this season, both pushing for high seeds in the playoffs. Prior to the game, the Pistons were owner of an impressive 14-7 record. The 76ers weren’t too far behind, however, as they had a 12-9 record.
This game saw the highly anticipated match-up between Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. A lot of smack talk have been conversed since the first match-up against each other on Oct. 24. Embiid said Drummond can’t defend or shoot, Drummond responded joking about Embiid’s health. I’m sure many tuned into the game just to see the two big men go at it.
Behind early, but ahead after
The game started somewhat rough for the Philadelphia 76ers, they trailed by five. However, they then went on a timely 15-0 run to lead 28-11. Amir Johnson played a big role in this run — offensively and defensively. The Sixers got to the charity stripe a lot during the first quarterer, ultimately giving them a 32-25 lead heading into the second quarter.
To start the second quarter, Robert Covington hit a couple of three-pointers, which extended the lead to 16 — the largest of the game. The Sixers really took control of the game. Of the 22 buckets scored, 18 of them were assisted, this has been an emphasis for Coach Brown. More on Johnson, he had a great all-around performance; six points, three rebounds and four assists going into half-time. More impressively, the Sixers only committed five turnovers in the whole half. The Sixers led 63-47.
Piston power
Pistons were 5-1 on games where they were behind at half-time. In the first five minutes of the third quarter, the 76ers committed seven turnover. SEVEN. The Pistons made the game competitive again after a 33-15 run. The visitors tied the game, 80-80, after a Luke Kennard three-pointer.
Embiid: "Before the game I told my teammates he [Drummond] was going to foul out." #Sixers
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) December 3, 2017
To start the fourth quarter, the Pistons got their first lead of the game since early in the first quarter. After this, the game was back-and-fourth, no team could pull away. Ben Simmons continued to struggle, this certainly didn’t help the 76ers. However, a 12-4 run by the 76ers restored a five-point lead, and gave the 76ers some breathing room. Soon after, Andre Drummond fouled out and fouling Joel Embiid time and time again. After this, Dario Saric hit a clutch three-pointer to give the 76ers an eight-point lead. The 76ers hit their free-throws — 14-15 in the fourth quarter — to extend the lead. Finally, after a great segment of defense, that caused a five-second violation, the game was secured.
Next: 76ers may see the Pistons in the Playoffs
Overall, it was a fantastic game for the neutral oriented fan. Hopefully, there’ll be more showdowns like this in the future between the two teams.