By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia 76ers were riding high after beating the Chicago Bulls last night. They faced a hungry Detroit Pistons squad in their first back-to-back of the season. They were able to use another offensive explosion to beat the Pistons 109-98.

It started out well for Philly, they were able to hit some early shots and get out to an early lead over Detroit. They were powered by guard Seth Curry who was out from the opening tip. He could not miss early on in the game as he scored 16 of his 23-points by the end of the first quarter. It did not matter if the shots were well defended or wide open there was nothing Detroit could do to stop him. Curry’s continued offensive dominance has really propelled the Sixers. He let the game come to him last year, but this year he’s been way more aggressive and is one of the biggest reasons for the early season dominance. He has picked-up for Joel Embiid as he works his way into form and in the absence of Tobias Harris (Covid Protocols) and Ben Simmons (Mental health).

Despite the offensive explosion from Curry, the Pistons  were able to weather the early storm from the Sixers.  They retook the lead by half-time. They were powered by rookie sensation Cade Cunningham (18-points) and Jerami Grant (27-points). They combined for 45 of Detroit’s 98-points.  Grant and Cunningham could not be stopped. They were able to use their lengths to get Philly’s defenders in foul trouble and they were able to hit a lot of shots from the perimeter. The Sixers had no answers for them.

They were able to turn on the defensive intensity in the second half to really turn the pressure up on the Pistons, and they folded under it. The Sixers forced 11-turnovers and use them to get some easy dunks, lay-ups and three-point shots.

On the win streak and the victory, “This team. They’re close, they’re void of distractions so far, and they just play hard,” said Doc Rivers.

Philly now gets a day off as they prepare for another showdown with the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. They will need another impressive night on both sides of the ball. Additionally, they will need to find a way  to stop DeMar DeRozan. If they want to beat the Bulls and run the win streak to six.