Bully for ‘Bully ball’! The rematch with the Pistons went differently than their first meeting. Blake Griffin did not drop another 50 (although he still scored a lot) while the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed Wilson Chandler in his debut.
The rematch between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons turned out to be not much of a match for most of the time.
It played out much like Thursday’s contest with the Clippers. The 76ers pummeled their opponent in the first half, came out flat as a pancake for the second half and needed Markelle Fultz and Mike Muscala to provide a spark and held on for a 109-99 win in a foul-fest of a game.
Joel Embiid was a monster in the first half. It was pure ‘Bully Ball’ (he only attempted one 3-pointer, which he made) as Detroit could do nothing but foul with Embiid planted inside. He sank 15 of 17 free throws (best in league this season) and finished with 32 points in the first half.
For all the people who think the 76ers should start J.J, Redick over Fultz,, they did not get much to support that view in this game. The Sixers held a 69-47 lead at halftime and Redick started the second half. The Pistons (who outside of Blake Griffin have few weapons) were able to rip off a 13-0 run to start the half and it was a contested game again.
Fultz came in for Simmons and with his energy helped staunch the bleeding, and Muscala, after missing his first six shots, hit some key buckets.
The Pistons got as close as 92-87 with 4:43 left as the Sixers went almost seven minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter, but Embiid and Redick made some shots down the stretch to hold them off.
Griffin did not get 50 like the last time but 38 points in still pretty good. However, outside of Process legend Ish Smith, he did not get a lot of help.
Substitution note: For the second game in a row, T.J. McConnell did not play and down the stretch, Brett Brown opted to go with Muscala instead of the struggling Dario Saric.
Here are grades on some of the key players for the 76ers in the game:
The Sixers are now 6-4 on the season, having lost all their road games and won every time at home.
On Sunday they travel up the turnpike to take on the Brooklyn Nets. Maybe not a conference title contender but still a challenge for a team that has yet to win a game on the road.