Harrell continued his run of better play and unsurprisingly benefited as a roller next to Harden - the guy Harrell should spend most of his time with if he’s going to be maximized on this team. In Embiid's absence, Philly's backup bigs both stepped up. The kind of effort they could use again to begin their upcoming home stint with another win in Tuesday’s rematch. If they can pair remotely similar interior success with even average shooting on Tuesday (the Sixers shot just 11-of-37, 29.7 percent, from three in Detroit at the weekend), they’ll be in good shape.Īlong with Montrezl Harrell’s 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 23 points from Tyrese Maxey (his jumper isn’t on point just yet, but he’s showing more of his burst again and looking more like his usual self after returning from injury), 14 points from Georges Niang, and big nights from the team’s available centers, Sunday’s outing was a well-rounded effort from the Sixers. They shot 28-of-39 (71.8 percent) in the restricted area. It's hard to see the Pistons' defense changing too much to stop Harden getting to his spots or setting up cutters for easy finishes down the lane.ĭetroit’s defense, with Isaiah Stewart and Nerlens Noel manning the back line, wasn’t able to stop the Sixers having their way in the paint in general. James Harden had no trouble racking up a triple-double in Detroit on Sunday with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Even if Embiid remains out, this really isn’t a team the Sixers should be having trouble with if they bring reasonable effort. Despite bringing in exciting rookie talents like Jaden Ivy and Jalen Duren, and an efficient veteran scorer in Bojan Bogdanovic, the Pistons still find themselves 15th in the Eastern Conference with a bottom-six ranking in both offensive and defensive rating. Without Cunningham to anchor the team’s offense, the Pistons have mightily struggled. Given the strong performance of the rest of the team without them, against a team that’s also dead last in the East, it makes sense to get Embiid and Tucker some extra rest on Tuesday if possible - whether that's limited minutes in their potential returns or simply sitting the game out. Tucker is currently listed as probable after missing the last game with a non-COVID illness. Embiid (left foot soreness) has been upgraded to questionable, and P.J. The Sixers, on the other hand, could be closer to full strength. He's been putting up career-highs of 21 points per game with a 62.8 true shooting percentage this season, so his absence certainly makes things a bit easier for Philly. Another notable addition to the injury report is Bojan Bogdanovic, who's now out with right calf soreness. Cade Cunningham obviously remains out for the season after having surgery on his left leg, while Marvin Bagley III (right hand metacarpal fractures) and Jalen Duren (right ankle soreness) are both still out as well. On Tuesday, the Sixers are back home for another contest against the Pistons, who’ll continue to be shorthanded. The Sixers handled the 11-32 Pistons about as easily as you'd hope for on a night when they were missing Joel Embiid, winning 123-111 on Sunday.

Joel embiid stats vs pistons