DETROIT -- The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday to take on the Detroit Pistons in a matchup of the two top teams in the Eastern Conference. The lone loss the Sixers took on the season was on Oct. 25 to the Pistons at home so this was an opportunity for Philadelphia to make a statement.
The Sixers got off to a slow start, but then locked in defensively to slow down the Pistons and walk out of Detroit with a 112-106 win. The Sixers have now won five in a row and evened up the season series at 1-1 with a final scheduled game between the teams coming on Feb. 5 back in Philadelphia.
Jaylen Brown was terrific and led the Sixers with 30 points and seven rebounds, Joel Embiid had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and LeBron
James added 13 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. VJ Edgecombe had 11 points and six rebounds and Tyrese Maxey had 19 and seven assists.
Here are the player grades following the win:
Tyrese Maxey: B
The birthday boy got off to a slow start as he had a tough time really finding any type of rhythm on the offensive end. He struggled with his shot, but to his credit, he was very good on the defensive end at the point of attack. While Pistons star Cade Cunningham was able to get some buckets over him just by his sheer size advantage, Maxey was able to make life miserable for him at times. Overall, it wasn’t the normal Maxey offensive night, but he knocked down some big shots in the fourth to help put Detroit away when it tried to make one last run.
VJ Edgecombe: B-plus
The second-year guard knocked down a 3 to start the night, but he then had some tough moments. He had a tough time finishing at the basket and couldn’t make his usual impact on the glass. One has to give credit to the Pistons for slowing down Edgecombe a bit. When he was able to get out in transition and use his speed and athleticism, that’s when he was able to make things happen offensively. He did a fantastic job of putting his head down and attacking in those instances.
Jaylen Brown: A-plus
The Sixers received some terrific off-ball movement from Brown in this one. The Pistons are a team that relies so much on physicality and wanting to really bother an offensive player every time he touches the ball. Brown struggled in the Oct. 25 loss to Detroit, but he was excellent in this one as he was able to find a rhythm by getting easy looks off moving without the ball. He then found a rhythm with his 3-point shot and he was just incredibly tough to stop on the offensive end. He carried Philadelphia’s offense for stretches and established himself all night. The Pistons couldn’t stop him in this one. The block he had on Cunningham's 3-point attempt when Detroit made a final push was phenomenal.
LeBron James: A
This game was controlled by James in the early going. He was phenomenal in terms of running the offense and getting the Sixers into their sets in order to find a groove against a physical Pistons team. He was terrific as he was able to find the open seams in Detroit’s defense and his passing was on point to get Philadelphia into a rhythm. He also had some moments that showed he’s still got it as he put the ball on the floor and got to the rim with ease. All in all, another game where James stuffs the box score and continues to make a difference on both ends of the floor. Again, just so impressive what he’s doing at his advanced age in a league that’s only getting younger.
Joel Embiid: A
The big fella had a tough time getting into a rhythm in the early going, but he was able to get to the line against former Sixers big man Paul Reed. One has to give Reed credit for his toughness and battling, but Embiid is such a tough cover and the Sixers had a lot of success dumping that ball into the 2023 MVP winner and having him make decisions from there. He was also helpful rebounding the ball, which is a big help. All night long, Embiid went to work in the paint, and even though the jumper wasn’t falling, the big fella was fantastic inside and made life miserable for Reed and the Pistons.
Adem Bona: B
The Sixers received some big Bona minutes in this one. He had a helpful stretch in the second quarter when he finished an And-1 and then outran the entire Pistons team down the floor after getting a stop and he threw down a slam. The Sixers need energy from Bona and he gave it in this one.
Dean Wade: B-plus
It’s impressive to see Wade hop on the floor and give the Sixers everything they need on the defensive end. He stepped onto the floor and immediately helped against Cunningham as he took on the challenge and forced him into some tough looks to slow down Detroit’s star.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: B-plus
The veteran went out there and was all over the place defensively. He played with a ton of energy and gave the Sixers exactly what they need off the bench, which is competent guard play to provide support to the starters. He knocked down some big shots in the fourth quarter to help the Sixers close this one out.
Anfernee Simons: D
It was a slow start for Simons as the initial stint didn’t produce much other than a couple of personal fouls. He only played 10 minutes in this one.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Jaylen Brown leads Sixers past Pistons on the road
