After losing four consecutive games, the Sixers found a way to beat the struggling Detroit Pistons by a final score of 94-83 at the Wells Fargo Center in south Philadelphia. Detroit came into the game coming off a 105-95 home win versus the playoff bound Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, however, they have seen their playoff hopes sink down the drain throughout the past few weeks. Before their victory over Memphis, the Pistons found themselves on a 10-game losing skid which virtually eliminated them from playoff contention in the eastern conference. With the way Detroit was sliding, this game was without a doubt a winnable game for the Sixers.
Detroit came into Philadelphia holding the 28th best field goal percentage in the league at 42.6 percent and their shooting miscues were put on display once again as they finished this game shooting 33 percent on 29/88 from the floor. This was one of their worst shooting percentages of the season but it wasn’t worse than their season-low 30.7 percent in an 89-69 loss on January 28, which also took place in the city of brotherly love. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the way for Detroit, proving 20 points in the losing effort. Besides kentavious’ scoring, there wasn’t much else going right for the Pistons Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Reggie Jackson came off the bench and contributed 11 points but he shot 4/17 from the floor. The combination of tough defense and Detroit’s shooting woes really benefited the Sixers, leading to their 16th win of the season. The Sixers played impressive defensively throughout the night and contained the Pistons offense extremely effectively. They were “locking all windows and doors” as the great Marc Zumoff always states during his broadcasts.
The Sixers came out of the gates utilizing all of their weapons versus Detroit, leading to a mixed bag in the scoring department. Ish Smith led the way with 15 points to lead all Sixers and his phenomenal play at the point guard position over the past few weeks has resulted in him starting more games and seeing increased minutes on the floor. The lone veteran, Jason Richardson, had himself a successful game as he notched 14 points, including 3 three-point field goals. One man who has been opening eyes recently because of his constant hustle, Thomas Robinson, came off the bench and provided the Sixers with 12 points to go along with 6 rebounds in 16 quality minutes of action. Nerlens Noel accumulated 11 points on 5/10 shooting, including a couple of impressive jump-shots. He was having a fantastic game before leaving in the third quarter because of a right foot contusion that sidelined him for the rest of the night. Coach Brett Brown also received a nice contribution from Jerami Grant, who came off the bench for a solid 10 points in 24 minutes of game time. After Detroit cut the Sixers 10-point halftime lead down to a three-point lead at the end of the third quarter, the Sixers responded and took back the momentum, getting their lead back up to a game-high fifteen points and that was all she wrote.
It was good to see multiple Sixers producing tonight. Yes, it is fun when one player is just going off and having the game of his life, but when everyone is producing valuable minutes, getting their fair share of points, and contributing to a win, you feel better about your team. Coach Brett Brown has to be going to bed tonight feeling pleased with the effort his team displayed on the floor tonight to get this win. This was a great win for the Sixers with everyone contributing to the win and that is a recipe for greater success in the future as this team continues to grow together.
Next up: Host New York on Friday 7pm tip
