The Sixers avenged their only loss of the young season with a 112-106 win over the Pistons in Detroit Wednesday.
It was essentially a wire-to-wire win, though it did get a bit dicey at the end. Still, the Sixers’ resiliency in closing out close games remains impressive. They now have the best record in the NBA at 8-1.
Though Jalen Duren remained out for the Pistons, it was another good win for the Sixers, who remain undefeated on the road. Here are some takeaways from the victory.
Jaylen Brown = Winner
Jaylen Brown was a two-way
monster in this one. He was on the attack early, dropping 10 points in the first quarter and 13 in the second. He scored at all three levels, going for a coast-to-coast dunk finish over Paul Reed, operating plenty in his office in the midrange and nailing a deep three at the buzzer to close the first. He was 11-of-19 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep, finishing with a game-high 30 points.
Though VJ Edgecombe was the primary defender most of the night, Cade Cunningham saw plenty of Brown as well. They held the All-Star guard to 26 points on 9-of-22 from the field. Not a perfect night, but Cunningham had to work for everything he got.
Brown was great all night, but his biggest contribution came when it mattered most. With 38 seconds left and the Sixers clinging to a 106-102 lead, Cunningham saw an opportunity in transition to fire a triple and make it a one-point game. It was a clean look … until it wasn’t. Brown recovered and came away with a massive block. From there, the Sixers put the game away at the free throw line.
Sure, there are advanced analytics that can measure a guy making “winning plays,” but it’s a difficult thing to quantify. It just shows up on the stat sheet as a block, but it was a game-sealing play — the kind you need to see on the court, not a spreadsheet.
This defense
As of this posting, the Sixers are second in the NBA in defensive rating. While I do think the national narrative about their defense heading into the season was slightly overblown, I wasn’t expecting it to be elite right out of the gate.
The obvious locks were Brown and Edgecombe. Brown has proven to be an elite on-ball defender, while Edgecombe has all the makings of one. LeBron James has seen slippage in recent years on that end, but has been mostly excellent this season. Tyrese Maxey’s defensive growth has continued as he’s developed from a liability to a legitimately impactful defender.
But the biggest reason the Sixers’ defense has flourished is Joel Embiid. He’s moving better than he has in over two years. Though he’s not quite at the level of rim protection he was during his All-Defensive Team days, he’s affecting more shots at the rim. He’s also looked comfortable on the perimeter — hedging, blitzing and even switching onto quicker players.
And we all know rebounding has been a massive issue here in recent seasons. Under Nick Nurse, the Sixers have finished in the bottom five in defensive rebounding percentage the last three years. As of now, the Sixers are ninth in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage (I know, I had to double-check that one myself). Ending possessions has been huge for their defense. Embiid pulled down 15 boards Wednesday. The last time he pulled down 15 or more rebounds in regulation of a regular-season game was Jan. 22. 2024, the night he dropped 70 on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Will this keep up? A lot of that is going to depend on health, but if they continue to play defense like this, just wait until the offense catches up.
This feels real
You just get a feeling about teams early on sometimes. This group at 8-1 — playing defense, making hustle plays, closing out close games, getting along and having fun — feels special. I know, most teams that LeBron plays on feel special, but there’s this focus and drive that I’ve never seen in any Sixers team I’ve covered.
They’re going to hit adversity. An injury or two is sure to pop up. The offense is still in the bottom third of the league. The backup center situation is murky at best.
But man, this feels like a team worth getting excited about.
