Neither the Philadelphia 76ers nor the Motor City Pistons have been playing well in 2014-2015. After major makeovers from the trade deadline, the Pistons now have Reggie Jackson, and the Sixers have lost their leading scorers Michael Carter-Williams and K.J. McDaniels.
The Sixers surprised many folks with their strong home win on Wednesday night.
After an even first quarter, Philly pulled away in the second with a 25-18 quarter to go up 49-39 at halftime. In the third, unfortunately for the 76ers, the Pistons made up for exactly all of the points added to their deficit. After a 26-19 quarter in Detroit's favor, the Sixers had a slim three-point lead. In the third, Nerlens Noel got injured and did not return after a failed alley-oop.
The fourth and final quarter was all Sixers, and while Detroit gave Philadelphia a run for their money, the 76ers ended strong with an 11-point victory, 94-83. In the final minute, Pistons guard Reggie Jackson achieved a triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Ish Smith led the way for Philly, with 15 points, eight assists, and great regulation of the Sixers offense. Jason Richardson added 14 points and five rebounds, Thomas Robinson contributed 12 and six, and Nerlens Noel chipped in an electrifying 11 points in his limited play. He also recorded three blocks and four rebounds. Jerami Grant also had 10 points, including a poster dunk of Andre Drummond.
For the losing side, Kentavious 'KCP' Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points and grabbed eight boards. Reggie Jackson added his minimal triple-double of 11, 11, and 10. Andre Drummond added nine points and 14 boards inside, and he surprisingly made all three of his free throws.
The Sixers are now a "whopping" 16-52, and the Pistons are now 24-44. This game showed that the rebuilding being done by the Philadelphia front office is paying off, and that the Sixers have mad potential to be stellar.
The Pistons were without stars Brandon Jennings and Greg Monroe, so they should not feel too bad about this loss. Stan Van Gundy, the coach of Detroit, did look extremely mad nevertheless.