76ers vs. Pistons: 3 Things That Stood Out on Wednesday

What stood out in the 76ers' Wednesday night win over the Detroit Pistons?

The Philadelphia 76ers’ seven-game homestand continued on Wednesday night in South Philly. Following an overtime victory against the Toronto Raptors on Monday, the Sixers hosted the Detroit Pistons for the first time this season on Wednesday.

As expected, the Pistons entered Wednesday’s game with a struggling record. As the Pistons remain undermanned without their star Cade Cunningham, they are very much in rebuild mode still. Going into the matchup, Detroit placed 15th in the Eastern Conference with an 8-25 record.

Meanwhile, the Sixers have been thriving as of late. Despite a slow start to the season, Philadelphia sat at 17-12 in the midst of a five-game win streak on Wednesday. Heavily favored, as expected, the Sixers took care of business on Wednesday night.

After getting off to an ideal start, the Sixers led by as many as 21 points on Wednesday night. They put the Pistons away with a 113-93 victory. With that win, the Sixers improved to 18-12, picking up their sixth-straight win by defeating Detroit.

What Stood Out?

Efficiency and Burst

Lately, Sixers forward Tobias Harris has been shooting efficiently from the field. After he missed the matchup against Golden State last week due to back pain, Harris returned on Monday, checking in for 42 minutes. While he didn’t put up a ton of shots, taking fewer field goals than Joel Embiid, De’Anthony Melton, and James Harden, Harris knocked down 78 percent of his shots, scoring 21 points.

Wednesday’s performance was similar. Harris took fewer than ten shots from the field but was efficient once again. Draining six of his nine shots and hitting on 50 percent of his threes, Harris produced 17 points while playing just 21 minutes.

Along with Harris’s efficiency, Sixers guard James Harden flashed some impressive burst. Last season, the guard’s hamstring concerns left many wondering whether the All-Star lost a step or not. Harden looked like he got his burst back through the first handful of games this season, but an injury sidelined him for over a month.

Since returning on December 5, Harden’s been a big help to the Sixers, averaging 22 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds through the six games leading up to Wednesday’s game. While Harden had a quiet night on the stat sheet against Detroit, the All-Star was getting by defenders with ease. He wrapped up the night with 15 points, eight assists, and two rebounds in 32 minutes.

Bench Play

With the rotation constantly changing due to numerous reasons, the Sixers had a hard time finding consistency with their bench throughout the first stretch of the year. On Wednesday, the unit had a solid night as a whole.

The veteran forward Georges Niang led the Sixers in bench minutes with 26 minutes of playing time. The veteran wasn’t efficient, but he got up 11 threes and finished the game with 11 points. Center Montrezl Harrell was the second bench player to produce double-digits, as he had ten points in nine minutes.

Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, and Danuel House Jr. each produced at least six points a piece on offense. Overall, the Sixers’ bench outscored the Pistons’ 47-40.

Finally, An Early Night

Despite picking up wins, the Sixers received some criticism for the way they won their last two games. Last Friday, the Golden State Warriors were not only down three All-Stars, but they were struggling overall. The Sixers were big favorites over the Warriors, but a slow start caused Philadelphia needing to form a comeback to defeat the massively shorthanded Warriors 118-106.

The following game, the Sixers faced a Raptors team that was in a similar position. While Toronto’s injury report wasn’t as extensive, they won just two of their last ten games before facing Philadelphia. Although the Sixers got off to a hot start against Toronto, the Raptors formed a comeback and gained a seven-point lead over the Sixers.

Fortunately for the Sixers, they didn’t let the Raptors complete the comeback. After forcing overtime, the Sixers defeated the Raptors to snag their fifth-straight victory. Once again, Philadelphia’s Wednesday night opponent was a struggling and shorthanded squad.

While the trend over the last two games has been the Sixers having an unbalanced game, they were in total control on Wednesday from start to finish. After possessing a 19-point lead in the first half, the Sixers prevented any lead changes for the remainder of the matchup. In the fourth quarter, Sixers starters got the night off early, as Doc Rivers cleared the bench in the final few minutes.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.