Observations After Sixers Earn Strong Road Win Over Pistons, Brown Scores 30

Observations after Sixers earn strong road win over Pistons, Brown scores 30  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers remain the Eastern Conference’s sole leader. 

They earned a 112-106 road win over the Pistons on Wednesday night to move to 8-1 on the season and stay at the top of the standings. Detroit fell to 6-2. 

The Sixers last started 8-1 in the 2023-24 season, which was Nick Nurse’s first as the team’s head coach. 

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 30 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

Joel Embiid had 26 points and a season-best 15 rebounds. LeBron James posted 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Tyrese Maxey added 19 points and seven assists.

The Pistons’ leading scorers were Duncan Robinson with 27 points and Cade Cunningham with 26.

The Sixers were down Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction) and Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear). The Pistons’ injured players included Jalen Duren (right hamstring strain) and Isaiah Joe (right hip contusion).

Nurse told reporters in Detroit he thinks “it’ll be another 10 to 12 days before they kind of clear (Barlow) for getting on the court to see where he is,” according to Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin. 

The Sixers will visit the Cavaliers on Friday night. Here are observations on their victory over Detroit: 

Little bit of everything from Embiid in 1st half 

Embiid assisted the Sixers’ first basket with a sharp pass out of a double team. He saw Brown’s cut along the baseline and dished to him for a layup. 

Detroit ran several double drag screen actions early, forcing Embiid to defend on the perimeter. The Pistons started 7 for 11 from the floor and took a 17-11 edge on a Robinson three-pointer. 

The Sixers then made a 10-0 run and Embiid was right in the middle of it. He converted a put-back layup after a pretty high-low feed from James. Embiid hit two foul shots to give the Sixers the lead. The team raised its defensive level and Detroit’s offense grew frigid.

Embiid was very good on the glass in the first half, grabbing eight rebounds. The Sixers had an excellent rebounding game as a team, limiting the Pistons to four offensive boards over 48 minutes.

Embiid didn’t break out of his early-season three-point shooting slump, going 0 for 3. He’s 3 for 26 (11.5 percent) on the season and hasn’t made a three since the Sixers’ second game.

Late in the second quarter, Embiid got into a dead-ball dust-up with Tolu Smith. After an officials’ review, Embiid was assessed a technical foul for “initiating” the altercation. 

Brown steps up 

Playing on his 26th birthday, Maxey missed his first four field goals and was scoreless until he hit a floater with 31.5 seconds left in the first quarter. 

Brown picked up the scoring slack, tallying 10 points in the first on 4-for-6 shooting and hitting a deep, buzzer-beating three to put the Sixers up 29-21. He produced at all three levels, chose smart spots to attack and looked comfortable in the rhythm of the Sixers’ offense. 

Meanwhile, James did his usuall stellar work as a passer. He assisted two Adem Bona slams in the second quarter and constantly spotted open teammates. Nurse rewarded Bona’s strong opening stint, playing him for a lengthy stretch. 

Brown swished a corner triple to extend the Sixers’ lead to 48-31. With a 3-for-5 night, Brown is at 45.7 percent from long distance so far this season. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Brown’s three-point shooting improved from last season’s 34.7 percent clip. With such an abundance of star power, the Sixers’ hope will be that everyone gets regular open looks beyond the arc throughout the year.

As for Maxey, he sat with 3:26 left in the second quarter after being whistled for his third foul. Even with a mere two points from Maxey, the Sixers entered halftime holding a 14-point advantage. 

Sixers stay perfect away from home

The Pistons played better basketball to begin the third quarter.

Following a John Collins alley-oop jam, Nurse called timeout with his team’s lead down to single digits. The Pistons’ offense sustained some success, but the Sixers prevented a sustained run.

Embiid played an especially physical, aggressive third quarter. He tipped in his own miss and Maxey then sunk a three to make the Sixers’ lead 84-68. They were up as many as 17 points in the third.

Embiid sat out the fourth quarter Monday night for the Sixers’ win over the Bulls and said he was on a minutes restriction (25) because of his right foot plantar fasciitis. He played the fourth period against the Pistons and logged 33 minutes. Bona went back to the locker room early in the fourth. Nurse told reporters postgame that Bona had “neck soreness.” 

Detroit did not let the Sixers coast to victory.

Robinson drained a three. Cunningham made a pair of free throws and drove in for a layup that cut the Pistons’ deficit to 106-102.

The Sixers halted the Pistons’ run before anything disastrous was on the table. Brown blocked a Cunningham three-point try, Embiid knocked down two foul shots, and the East’s No. 1 early-season team improved to 4-0 on the road.