It was not easy, it was not wire to wire, but the Sixers won. The Detroit Pistons seem to have found the fountain of youth for Derrick Rose who got deep into the paint early and often. Rose, the former NBA MVP, scored 31 in the loss.

The Sixers have gotten off to slow starts in both games so far this season, but their sheer size and power seem to be wearing teams down. The Pistons led by 3 at halftime, and the Sixers seem to desperately miss Joel Embiid’s rim protection and extreme deterrence value. At the half the Sixers were still struggling to shoot the ball. Furkan Korkmaz struggled to play in early bench minutes. Those minutes were necessary mainly because Matisse Thybulle started in place of Joel Embiid who missed the game with an ankle sprain.

The Pistons led 57-54 at the half.

The Second Half

Tobias Harris had a big third quarter to kickstart the 76ers taking control of the game. Mike Scott got hot from deep as well to keep the Sixers in the game until the defense was able to gain control in the fourth. Scott knocked down 5 threes and scored 17 points in the win.

 

Shake Milton 

Milton scored 10 points and was a plus-9 in 12 minutes off of the bench. Milton was able to play steadier than Korkmaz in essentially the same role. He knocked down 2 of 4 three point attempts and played solid. 

Ben Simmons and Al Horford

In the fourth quarter, the duo of Ben Simmons and Al Horford took control. Simmons ended the game with 7 steals to go along with 10 assists. He also had 13 points but 5 turnovers in a game where, at times, he was a bit optimistic passing on kick outs. 

Horford was excellent most of the night. He finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and ZERO turnovers. Quite a stat-line for Horford. He attacked the Pistons aggressively in the fourth. 

Next Up: Trae Young and The Atlanta Hawks 

Monday evening from Atlanta. The Hawks are led by Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter, all players who potentially can present matchup problems for the Sixers. The Hawks are 2-0 on the season, and Young is playing at Steph Curry levels right now.

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