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The Pistons started off the game on an 11-0 run. That turned into a 35-14 lead after the first quarter. There was no way the Pistons would lose that lead to the 76ers, right?
The bench came in to start the 2nd quarter and worked their magic, as the 76ers went on a run. The lead was down to five before all of the starters were put back in. The starters started off a bit shaky when they were put back in, but steadied the ship and got the lead up to 12 by the half.
The Pistons starters came out of the half the same way they started the game and put the game away like they should, by outscoring the Sixers 31-20 in the quarter. I'm sure it was not a fun halftime talk for the team after their sluggish play to let the 76ers back into the game.
The bench came back in to start the 4th and were able to hold serve for the most part. Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, and Andre Drummond came back in with about 7 minutes left in the 4th, which is a bit of a confusing decision based on the fact that the Pistons face the Indiana Pacers tomorrow. The bench came back with about 3 minutes left to finish off the game.
The final score isn't really that accurate of a reflection of how dominant the Pistons starters were in this game.
Reggie Jackson had his way with the weak Philadelphia backcourt finishing the game with 21 points and 4 assists. He shot 9-20, but he was doing a great job of exploiting the weaker defenders and attacking. Marcus Morris also had a solid day playing in his hometown as he finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds, including 3-3 from 3. Andre Drummond did his usual Andre Drummond things by finishing the game with another double double with 18 points and 16 rebounds.
Jahlil Okafor had himself a solid day against the Pistons by finishing the game with 22 points. Robert Covington was also solid for the 76ers as he finished the game with 18 points. Those are really the only two bright spots for the 76ers today.
If you want a good laugh, look at the +/- numbers for the starters compared to the bench. Plus/minus usually isn't always the best stat to draw conclusions from, but today's +/- is pretty accurate.