By: Kylan Watson

After a lengthy break for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Detroit Pistons for the second game of their four-game season series. The Sixers used a second half explosion to beat Detroit 111-96 and get their fourth win of the season.
Philly found their offensive rhythm early in this game from the opening tip-off they were able to find the bottom of the net. Tyrese Maxey (28 points, and had six assists), KJ Martin (19 points), and Ricky Council IV (17 points) combined for 64 of the Sixers 111 points. Both Martin and Council IV were thrown into the action earlier than expected because Andre Drummond went down with an ankle sprain early in the first quarter.

As a result of the injury Sixers Head Coach Nick Nurse had to get creative with his rotations. Philly’s offense looked a lot better with the instant energy and athleticism both Council and Martin provide. Martin did the majority of his damage in this game as a small-ball center and showed some promise working as a power forward as well. Depending on how long Drummond’s injury will keep him out of the line-up. The Sixers should insert him into the starting line-up as a power-forward next to Guerschon Yabusele, and if Martin can continue to hit shots and improve as a defender. The Sixers may have found a line-up that can be successful until they get Joel Embiid back on the floor.

Philly also got Paul George back and he did well as a playmaker in this game, he got his teammates involved in this contest and created multiple high-percentage shooting opportunities for them. That increased their confidence and the Sixers were able to steam roll Detroit in this game. While George only scored 11 points in this contest his ability to thread the needle with his passing ability was impressive tonight. His playmaking and defensive abilities will be the most useful skillset for the Sixers for their next stretch of games. That adds another dimension to the Sixers offense and will the shots are falling they can compete with any team in the league. The scoring will come for George once he is able to shake the rust off, but until then he can be most dangerous as a passer and ball handler for Philly.

Detroit continued to fight in this game despite being down by a significant margin in this contest. Malik Beasley (19 points) and Jaden Ivey (15 points) refused to let their team give up in this game. They combined for 34 of Detroit’s 96 points and in the first-half the Sixers had no answers for them. They were able to hit three-pointers and save multiple possessions for Detroit that seemed lifeless and doomed to fail. However, in the second-half Philly was able to use their length advantage to force them into more contested three-pointers. Once those started not falling no other player that Detroit had on the floor could find their offensive rhythm. That allowed the Sixers to pull ahead and increase their lead in the second half.
Maxey scored 20 of his 28 points in the third quarter and that put this contest to bed for the Sixers who are desperate to stack up wins during this road trip.

The Sixers will now prepare to face the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night, another young squad with an explosive backcourt. Philly will need to play a smothering defensive style especially from the perimeter. LaMelo Ball and the rest of his teammates will shoot from the parking lot if they are given any space to put shots up. Also, they will need to continue to cash in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created off their ball movement. Like they did in tonight’s contest against the Pistons, when the shots are falling for them they are a hard team to play against.

In addition, the Sixers will have to win the rebounding battle as well and keep the Hornets from getting offensive rebounds. Implementing these strategies into their gameplan on Tuesday should put them in great position to get their fifth win of the season against the Hornets.