Player grades: Joel Embiid leads Sixers to romp of lowly Pistons

DETROIT–The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night to begin a home-and-home series. The Pistons, who will visit Philadelphia on Friday, entered the contest on a 20-game losing skid and the Sixers had to guard against a possible trap game situation.

There would be no worries of a letdown. The Sixers jumped out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter and led by as many as 30 for the game. The Pistons, who were missing big man Jalen Duren, didn’t offer much resistance to Joel Embiid and Philadelphia romped the Pistons on its way to a 129-111 victory. Embiid had 30 points by halftime and finished with 41 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists on the night.

Tobias Harris added 21 points and seven rebounds, Kelly Oubre Jr. added 15 off the bench, De’Anthony Melton had 10 points and six rebounds, and Tyrese Maxey added nine and nine assists. Marcus Morris Sr. added four points and eight rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the win:

This is where the Pistons deserve credit. They threw a lot of bodies in front of Maxey and the young guard out of Kentucky could not find a rhythm early. He didn’t make a shot until the third quarter after starting the night 0-for-7 and he had a tough time really finding any type of groove. The defense on Maxey was something the Pistons could hang their hat on after a 21st consecutive loss. To compensate for the lack of scoring, Maxey did a more than solid job of getting teammates involved and being a playmaker on offense.

This was a regular Melton game. He made an impact on the defensive end and he did a good job of taking advantage of his open looks. He knocked down an early triple and when the Pistons switched off of screens, Melton was then able to knock down an open jumper in the mid-range. There was a play in the third quarter that perfectly explains the Melton experience. He dribbled into traffic, lost the ball, made the hustle play to keep the ball in bounds, and then relocated for an open 3-pointer. He always find a way to contribute in a positive way.

Batum was assigned the Cade Cunningham job and the veteran did a very good job against Detroit’s leading man. His length and defensive IQ were his biggest contributions in this one. He also was efficient with his offense so it was a nice night for Batum.

It was a good start for Harris. He used his size and strength to attack Detroit and he did a good job against Cunningham off switches. On the offensive end, he made himself available for open looks from deep. The Pistons aggressively doubled Embiid whenever he had the ball and they also switched a lot on defense which left Harris and other shooters open on the perimeter. He was helpful on the defensive end and it was a nice night for him overall. He needed a night like this one.

With the Pistons missing Duren and Marvin Bagley III due to injury, Embiid went to work early and often against Detroit’s smaller frontline. He drew two quick fouls on Isaiah Stewart and then feasted against James Wiseman as well. The big fella was constantly at the basket and the Pistons really had no answer for him all night. It really looked like a grown man playing amongst boys out there. Embiid was scoring at the basket, he was getting to the line, he was knocking down mid-range looks, and there was nothing the Pistons could do about it. Another night at the office for the reigning league MVP.

A good sign for the Sixers early in this one was Oubre Jr. coming off a screen and knocking down a corner triple. That seemed to open up things for him as he had his best game since returning from injury. He was shooting the ball well from the perimeter, he was aggressively attacking the paint, and he looked like himself again in this one. When considering this is his fourth game back, it makes sense. This is all about continuing to find his rhythm again after the long absence.

The veteran continues to get better by the game for the Sixers. He was posting up in the mid-post often and that allowed him to dribble into his spots and shoot his trademark turnaround jumper. The Pistons were no match in the size department for Morris Sr.

Beverley continues to find his groove on the offensive end. He knocked down a tough triple in his initial run and he was a pest on the defensive end of the floor. His activity on that end threw a wrench into anything Detroit tried to run.

The initial run for Reed was not good. He had a tough time defensively and he picked up two quick fouls. He also missed an easy look at the basket as he struggled to really make an impact.

The defensive end is where Covington made his impact. He was active on that end and made life tough on the Pistons whenever they tried to run any type of sets. His length also bothered Jaden Ivey whenever he tried getting into the paint. He was helpful on the glass as well.