3 observations: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid lead Sixers past Pistons

The Philadelphia 76ers entered the Motor City on Saturday coming off two wins over the rival Boston Celtics and were now looking to continue their winning ways against the lowly Detroit Pistons.

It was a bit of a struggle early as they trailed by as many as 11 in the first half, maybe some tired legs from the night before, but they were able to recover and pull out a 114-110 win over the Pistons for their third consecutive win.

Joel Embiid led the way with 33 points and 14 rebounds, Ben Simmons had 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, Tobias Harris had 17, and Seth Curry added 14 in his second game back in the lineup.

With that said, here are Saturday’s three observations:

Stars to the rescue

This was a game where Embiid and Simmons had to assert their will and they both did so in this one. They both scored in double digits in the first half and they kept Philadelphia in it when it looked like Detroit was trying to gain some separation. Simmons was working in the post a lot more in the first half and that seemed to really help him while Embiid was doing his usual Embiid thing on the low block and the two of them really kept the Sixers in the game in the beginning. Their play was so important to keep the team afloat and then others stepped up in the third quarter to provide some help. Curry was able to find room for a couple of jumpers and a layup and Furkan Korkmaz knocked down two important 3-pointers to provide some bench help. Shake Milton, who had a mostly rough night, was able to get some key hoops to give Philadelphia a lead.

Tobias the X-Factor

Harris continues to play some really good basketball to begin the season for Philadelphia. His play next to Embiid and Simmons in this one was a huge factor. The two stars were obviously the big factors in this one, but the Sixers still needed that third scorer and that is where Harris came in. He, Embiid, and Simmons combined for 49 of their 61 points at the half. He did not score much in the second half, other than a big triple in crunch time, but he was terrific on the defensive end. He and Simmons really put Grant in a straitjacket. Harris used his quick hands and his instincts to be able to help Simmons and the Sixers as a whole were able to have a much better defensive second half compared to the first half.

Lack of a defensive sting

This could be a factor of playing the second night of a back-to-back but it always seems to be an issue for this team when they go out on the road. For some reason, they do not have the same type of active defense that they do when they’re in the comforts of home. In the opening quarter, the Pistons were well-spaced and they got Wayne Ellington open for 3-pointers and Philadelphia did not react well. Every time Detroit went into the paint, the Sixers focused on the ball-handler and that meant open shooters on the perimeter or players who can cut to the basket. A ton of credit does have to go to Simmons for his defensive effort against Jerami Grant. While Ellington and others got theirs, Simmons shut down Detroit’s main source of offense. Grant entered the game averaging 25.1 points on the season and he had scored 20+ points in 14 straight games entering Saturday. He finished with 11 points on 3-for-19 shooting.