PHILADELPHIA — A collective applause rumbled through the Wells Fargo Center with about four minutes to play in the third quarter, as Joel Embiid walked to the 76ers bench.
It’s unclear if the All-NBA center was on a minutes restriction in his return from a three-game absence because of foot soreness. But the overwhelming effort of Embiid and his team — combined with the Detroit Pistons’ putrid play — made that irrelevant.
Embiid’s efficient 36 points and 11 rebounds, along with James Harden’s second consecutive triple-double (16 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds), propelled the Sixers to blow past the shorthanded Pistons, 147-116, Tuesday night in their most overpowering performance of the season.
The Sixers led by as many as 41 points in the second half by holding the Pistons to 40.4% shooting (they hovered near 30% for the bulk of the first three quarters), out-rebounding Detroit by an eye-popping 55-26 margin and scoring 22 points off turnovers.
Tyrese Maxey added 16 points for the Sixers, while Tobias Harris went 6-of-6 from the floor and finished with 14 points and six rebounds. As a team, the Sixers shot 60.7% from the floor and scored 25 fastbreak points and 82 points in the paint.
Tuesday’s win came on the heels of a Sunday win in Detroit and clinched the Sixers’ three-game regular-season sweep of the Pistons (11-33). They will next host the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night, before embarking on a five-game Western Conference road trip that begins Saturday at Utah.
Replenished roster
Embiid was efficiently dominant in his return, mixing authoritative finishes at the rim with smooth jumpers while going 12-of-20 from the floor and 11-of-11 from the free-throw line in 24 minutes.
But the All-NBA center’s re-insertion also meant the Sixers’ starting lineup of Embiid, Harden, Harris, Maxey and P.J. Tucker clicked back into the place for the first time since an Oct. 29 win at the Chicago Bulls.
De’Anthony Melton (nine points on 1-of-7 from three-point range, five rebounds), back in a sixth-man role after nearly two months as a starting guard, was the first sub for Maxey about midway through the first. Georges Niang (zero points on 0-for-1 shooting, three rebounds), Matisse Thybulle (four points in nine minutes), Montrezl Harrell (eight points on 3-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes), and Shake Milton (11 points, seven assists) followed after that, creating a brief stretch with an all-bench lineup before Maxey re-entered late in the first.
The full starting group was back on the floor together with the Sixers up 42-29 with 6:21 to play in the second quarter. They extended that to 62-39 when Embiid finished a driving dunk and hit two free throws with less than two minutes remaining before halftime.
Danuel House Jr., Paul Reed, Furkan Korkmaz and Jaden Springer did not play until the fourth quarter when the outcome had long been decided. Springer, who has spent most of his two professional seasons with the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats, scored a career-high 10 points in 9 minutes, much to the delight of the Sixers’ bench.
Fast start
After Sunday’s Sixers win in Detroit, Sixers coach Doc Rivers was publicly wary of facing a motivated Pistons team Tuesday.
But Rivers’ team quickly put those concerns to bed with a fast start. They led 14-5 after Harden hit a three-pointer about three minutes into the first quarter — prompting an early timeout by Detroit coach Dwayne Casey — and 19-8 when Embiid drilled a trey about two minutes later. Harris scored seven of his points during that spurt.
The Pistons made a brief push when a Rodney McGruder three-pointer cut the Sixers’ lead to 33-29 in the second quarter, but Maxey answered with a jumper and a three-pointer.
Philly connections
Though Jalen Duren, a Roman Catholic High School alumnus and 2022 lottery draft pick, did not play Tuesday night, the Pistons’ roster still had plenty of Philly flavor.
Former Sixer Nerlens Noel, who had only played in nine games entering Tuesday while the Pistons develop Duren and Isaiah Stewart, got his first start of the season. He finished with five points and five rebounds.
Villanova product Saddiq Bey, meanwhile, also started after spending most of the season as a sixth or seventh man. He struggled mightily with his shot, missing his first nine attempts and totaling 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.
