Third Quarter
Maxey was ready to put that first half behind him. He opened the third by making his first four shots — a pair of layups and a pair of threes. That helped the Sixers breathe a bit as they ripped off a 12-3 run capped off by a KJ Martin put-back dunk.
Speaking of Martin, he was off to a really nice night on both ends. On top of the usual hustle and awareness he brings on defense, he made his first six shots from the field tonight, including a pair of threes. His teammates want him to shoot more, and this was the most willing he’s looked to do so this season. He was 2-of-3 from deep through three quarters.
Bona had done a pretty good job so far of just being out there without making any mistakes, which isn’t easy for a rookie. His first shift of the second half though, he was definitely doing more than just that. His play was highlighted by a pair of blocks, including a Jaden Ivey runner he had to get way up for. Reversing their third quarter fates, the Sixers ended this one with a 20-point lead, their largest lead in any game so far this season.
Fourth Quarter
It was an odd game for McCain, who hadn’t taken a shot until late in the third quarter. He got a quick five points with a free throw, midrange, and a crafty layup with his left side, but Detroit was focused on getting the ball out of his hands for most of the night.
He certainly would like to get off to better starts, but there’s something to be said about how good Maxey has been in the second half these past two games. Tonight 20 of his 28 came after halftime. The Sixers weren’t really in danger of blowing their lead, but the shots he made were reassuring amidst a slow moving final quarter.
It probably felt nice for two-way players Lester Quinones and Justin Edwards to see the floor in a win for once. With how bad this season’s gone, they’ve seen plenty of garbage time minutes this year, though it’s normally been the Sixers on the other end of it.
Next up for the Sixers is one of the few matchups that’s been kind to them so far this season. They’ll head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET for their final NBA cup game.
A blowout win? In this economy?
The Sixers welcomed Paul George back to the lineup after a three-game absence and cruised to a 111-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons Saturday.
George tapered off after a strong start, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 28 points shooting 11-of-24 from the field and 5-of-10 from three. That’s three straight games shooting 50% from three for him. Ricky Council IV came off the bench for 17 points, and KJ Martin had 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Caleb Martin remained out due to back soreness along with Joel Embiid and Kyle Lowry. Cade Cunningham was a late scratch for Detroit.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
It wasn’t just George’s return that caused some change to the starting lineup. Nick Nurse opted to go back to his bigger lineup with both Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond, and that meant Jared McCain was coming off the bench tonight. It was a great start for Drummond, who caught a lob from PG and tipped backed a layup a few possessions later. He unfortunately landed on Tobias Harris’s foot when he did, immediately going down. He was helped by teammate back to the locker room and was ruled out with a right ankle sprain later in the half.
Rallying around that, the Sixers ripped off an 11-2 run. Adem Bona checked into the game and was found in the dunker spot by George for his third assist of the quarter. After hitting none in his previous two games, Kelly Oubre Jr. knocked down his second three of the game to prompt a Detroit timeout.
The younger bench players ended the quarter well when their numbers were called. Bona drew a couple of fouls on Isaiah Stewart. Ricky Council IV drew a couple of shooting fouls as well, which is one of the things he’s needed to get back to when he’s out there. The Sixers led by 17 after having a 23% better field goal percentage than the Pistons in the
first.
Second Quarter
The only Sixer who wasn’t off to a hot shooting start was Maxey, who opened the game 2-of-9 from the floor. McCain also struggled with aggressive double teams when he was one his own. These factors slowed down the offense a bit allowing Detroit to cut into the lead.
George looked better out of the gate tonight than he had in many of the games before he got injured. He finished shooting 3-of-6 for eight points along with four assists. He seemed pretty comfortable bullying his way to the hoop, able to draw fouls when he wasn’t able to push himself into space. It’d be nice to see them try to get more threes for him off the catch— he took just one three and it was a contested pull-up.
Detroit continued to chip, ending the half on a 14-5 run that would have been worse for the Sixers if a Council three hadn’t bounced in off the front of the rim. Council was the Sixers’ leading scorer with 13 as they went into the break with a five-point lead.
Sixers forward KJ Martin had 19 points in the teams win over the Pistons.
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