Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points. Ricky Council IV and KJ Martin provided energy off the bench. The Sixers led wire-to-wire in a blowout win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
Here's what I saw.
- The three-point shooting has been abhorrent for the Sixers up to this point in the season, making it impossible to jump-start the offense. That finally regressed back to the mean for Philadelphia, starting in the first quarter. Patience and spacing were as big of contributors as any stroke of luck. Kelly Oubre Jr. got the team's first bite at the apple. Perhaps as a byproduct of having his chances early on, Oubre was more patient with the ball in his hands. It led to better team-wide shot quality and, down the chain, more makes. Amazing how much decent three-point shooting can make an offense feel more modern.
- Along with the three-point shooting exhibiting positive regression, this was the second game in a row in which you could see the offense and defense functioning with more coherence and chemistry. Philadelphia problem-solved on defense in real time, making the right rotations to shut down driving lanes and open three-point shooters without bad closeouts.
They've made an identity out of getting handsy before the opposition can even get a shot off. An early example was Maxey jockeying with Tobias Harris in the high post, winning the battle by tipping a lofty entry pass away. Beyond that, they were active in the driving and passing lanes all night long, jarring the ball away and creating transition opportunities or getting hands on the ball as the shooter gathered to disrupt the attempt.
On the other end of the floor, the Sixers took advantage of Detroit's defensive scheme. You could hear JB Bickerstaff screaming "MIDDLE" throughout the first half, imploring his Pistons to load up in the middle of the floor to shut down line drives.
Led by Maxey and Paul George, the Sixers went to the two-man game, using Detroit's defensive setup against them. Philadelphia got whatever it wanted out of the pick-and-roll, the Pistons unprepared to account for the roller in the action.
The other factor in the offensive identity was the injection of youth in the rotation. Nick Nurse has recently made comments suggesting that he will look more toward his younger players at this stage of the season. The last two games have featured Council and Martin in prominent roles. They're not the most skilled. They make mistakes. But, they're bundles of energy.
Council, especially, makes offense easier to come by because he's excellent at putting pressure on the rim. Whether it's in transition or in the halfcourt, he's attacking the paint relentlessly and manufacturing shots at the rim and on the swing pass when the defense collapses.
Martin, on the other hand, lurked around the rim, pulling down or stuffing back his teammates' misses. He also had some outstanding rotations across the paint, bothering shots inside or outright blocking them before they reached goaltending territory.
- Was encouraged by how fresh George looked in his return to the lineup. He got to the rim with ease all game long, keeping his dribble low on the drive and slashing relentlessly. He saw the floor well, finishing through contact and dumping off to the teammate in the dunker's spot when the rim protector lifted to try and stop the ball.
- Philadelphia obviously cannot afford any more big men missing time with injuries, so fairly concerning that Andre Drummond left the game after rolling his ankle a few minutes into the first quarter. He needed help getting to the locker room, unable to put weight on that foot. Drummond was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game with a sprained ankle. So, the Sixers have to go smaller until one of him and Joel Embiid returns. Certainly not ideal when you're in the bottom 10 of the league in rebounding on both sides of the ball.
- 4-14 sure isn't good, but it does seem like they're starting to figure out how to play together. If only everyone could get healthy at the same time. What a concept!
The Sixers (4-14) will visit the Charlotte Hornets (6-14) on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., Eastern time. You can catch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
