GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 125, Detroit Pistons 109
By Ashley Foltz
The Philadelphia 76ers dominated against the struggling Detriot Pistons with elevation from the forceful Tobias Harris.
The Philadelphia 76ers remain victorious against the Pistons for the fifth straight meeting between the two teams. The Sixers worked as a cohesive unit to defeat Detroit by16 points.
Early on we saw Ben Simmons attack both ends of the court. He helped to set a nice game tempo as he set people up with open shots and got himself into the paint to score. Just in the first quarter, the Sixers grabbed 14 rebounds against the Pistons’ five. It was great to see such a strong initiative to get the 50/50 balls.
Joel Embiid turned on his aggressiveness switch as soon as he was matched up with his long-time rival, Andre Drummond, who came off the bench tonight. Embiid was a beast around the basket with 13 points, four rebounds, and two blocks in just 15 minutes on the court.
The Sixers’ offense looked pretty solid with some impressive passes and decision making. Tobias Harris was an absolute force all around, shooting 2-for-3 from beyond for 15 points in the first half alone, and it only went up from there.
Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS. A+. <strong>34 mins | 35 pts | 7 reb | 3 ast | 3 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 14-21 FG | 4-7 3PT| 3-3 FT | 3 PF | +22 | </strong>Tobi was a bully on offense as he drove in like his counterpart, Embiid, and shoved his defender into the paint to eventually turn and make a smooth jumper. He brought this sort of energy on the other end of the court as well, staying tight on defense and going after every rebound.. PF
FURKAN KORKMAZ. A. <strong>22 mins | 21 pts | 4 reb | 0 ast | 2 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 9-16 FG | 3-7 3PT| 0-0 FT | 0 PF | +26 | </strong>The Sixers needed someone to step up due to the injured Matisse Thybulle, and that’s exactly what Furky did. Hitting shots and going after loose balls helped to give his team a boost of momentum. Furky also hit a new career of 21 points.. SG. Philadelphia 76ers
A-. <strong>37 mins | 16 pts | 13 reb | 17 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 4 TO | 8-14 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 4 PF | +20|</strong> Tallying on his second triple-double of the season, Simmons all-around had a typical Simmons game. He set the fast game tempo, set his teammates up for shots, and got himself into position to score in the paint. He also registered his career-high assists at 17.. PG. Philadelphia 76ers. BEN SIMMONS
Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID. B. <strong>28 mins | 20 pts | 8 reb | 3 ast | 1 stl | 3 blk | 3 TO | 7-9 FG | 1-1 3PT| 5-6 FT | 2 PF | – 7 |</strong><p>Jo had a pretty quiet game, to say the least. He was issued as sick before the game which could have been a factor to his average night. He took very few shots, but the ones he took were well thought out and smart shots. Defensively he made an impact as he chased down some blocks and rebounds.</p>. C
<strong>24 mins | 6 pts | 7 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 2 blk | 1 TO | 2-7 FG | 2-4 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | +21 |</strong><p>It definitely doesn’t show it points-wise, but Ennis played a key role in tonight’s win. He fought for every rebound and asserted himself defensively to make multiple huge blocks.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. JAMES ENNIS. B
Straight out of the locker room the Pistons went on a 10-0 run but was broken up by none other than Tobias Harris with a simple layup to get the Sixers back on track. James Ennis followed in Tobi’s footsteps, helping to take control of the game. Ennis may not have had the points to show it, he did his part by rebounding, finding open teammates, and blocking shots.
Furkan Korkmaz, sporting some neon green kicks, registered a career-high 21 points. A late-game tiff occurred between Blake Griffin and Harris, which resulted in a double technical call. After the small quarrel, the Sixers cruised along for the rest of the game.
Next. Marial Shayok's steady improvement. dark
This game was hopefully the confidence boost the Sixers need before they take on the current best team in the NBA — the Milwaukee Bucks — on Christmas Day.