Philly Sports Jabronis
Two weeks ago, the Sixers posted their largest margin of victory of the season, topping the New Orleans Pelicans 96-81 at home. On Wednesday, they put together a commanding 89-69 win, the second-largest of head coach Brett Brown’s tenure with the team.
“We’re getting better,” Brown said matter-of-factly after the game. “We try to teach these young guys to never take their foot off the pedal. We have no right to be complacent at any point, so we try to wind these guys up all day, every play, every day.”
The Sixers jumped out to a 24-4 lead in the opening seven minutes of the first quarter and never looked back, outshooting the Pistons 47.4% to 30.7% from the field and outscoring them 21-6 from beyond the arc en route to a 20-point victory. Twenty-seven of Philadelphia’s 37 made baskets were assisted, with Michael Carter-Williams leading the way with 10 assists to go along with 14 points and nine rebounds. He fell one rebound shy of his third triple-double of the season.
“Michael was a point guard tonight,” said Brown. “His presence on the court and [his] size… that’s a special quality for a young point guard. He ran the team and controlled the tempo.”
Robert Covington led the Sixers with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting (4/5 3FG) to go along with five boards and three assists. JaKarr Sampson notched 13 points (5/6 FG) and eight rebounds in his eighth career start and Nerlens Noel put together a well-rounded five-point, five-assist, four-rebound, four-steal performance.
Off the bench, Henry Sims added 10 points (5/7 FG) and six rebounds, K.J. McDaniels notched 10 points (4/7 FG) and four rebounds, and Jerami Grant contributed four points (2/6 FG), four rebounds, a pair of blocks and assists, and perhaps the dunk of the Sixers’ season so far.
The Pistons were paced by Greg Monroe, who scored 20 points (8/15 FG) and pulled down 11 rebounds against Philadelphia. Former Sixer Jodie Meeks added 19 points on 4-of-16 off the bench for Detroit.
Inside The Numbers: 20
Wednesday’s win over the Pistons marked just the second 20-point margin of victory for the Sixers since March 19, 2012, when they beat the Charlotte Bobcats 105-80 on the road.
Inside The Numbers: 69
The Pistons’ 69-point outing was the lowest the Sixers have allowed since November 7, 2012, when the team held the New Orleans Hornets to just 62 points.
Wroten Expected To Undergo Surgery
Tony Wroten was made available to reporters prior to Wednesday’s game and said that he anticipates surgery to repair a partial tear in the ACL in his right knee.
“I can’t play with a partial tear to the ACL with the way I play, so it’s best to get the surgery,” Wroten said. “Nobody wants to have surgery… But it is what it is.”
Quote Of The Night
“We got stops. Nerlens [Noel] had some great blocked shots, we had some steals, and we got the rebounds and got to run. That’s our game. That’s what we want to do. We want to run and get open shots.” – Michael Carter-Williams
Next Up
The Sixers host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at 7pm (EST) before departing for a two-game road trip against the Hawks (Saturday) and Cavaliers (Monday).
