Pistons High / Low: Detroit cruises past Embiid-less 76ers

The Pistons start their three game home stand with a win over the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers 113-96.

To the tape!

High

Marcus Morris is known for this mid-range jump shot. When it drops, it can lead to games like his career high 36 points against Minnesota. When it doesn’t though, it can lead to a stale offense. Morris is a strong dude and when he determines to get the hoop, it’s good for himself and the Pistons:

Consistently using a mid-range jumper lets a less-than defender off the hook.

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Even though Andre Drummond misses, I’ll take that look and - more importantly - that positioning. How about Stanley Johnson not giving up on the play?

Nerlens Noel refuses to give Drummond space 20 feet away from the hoop:

Which didn’t work last time either:

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Pistons’ point guards combined for 10 assists and a single turnover. For Jackson, assists don’t come easier than this:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope coming off a Jon Leuer screen is becoming a staple in quick Pistons offense. If the defense cheats to cover KCP then Leuer finds himself wide open.

Below, Ish Smith finds Aron Baynes for a couple of easy buckets:

Tobias Harris struggled to get going shooting just 3 for 10 from the field but Smith made sure this was an easy look:

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Noel’s confusion made for a nice give and go between Morris and Drummond:

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Per Synergy Sports, the Pistons are ranked dead last in PPP after a baseline out of bounds has occurred.

This BLOB should help.

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Drummond attacking a pick and roll instead of sagging back leads to a steal and an easy dunk. Who would’ve thought?

Of course Ersan Ilyasova being the ball handler certainly helps but more aggressive P&R defense please.

Low

Where you going Tobias?

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I’d like to see Drummond a bit more involved in trying to stop Jahlil Okafor:

In probably Philadelphia’s only bright spot, Okafor finished with 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting and gave Baynes the business too:

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Both teams should be embarrassed. The game was clearly decided and even though Twitter loved it, this entire sequence should be frowned upon. It’ll be interesting to see how the league office handles this:

I’ll admit though, it would be interesting to see the 76ers’ number 44 in a Pistons uniform.

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Bring on the Lakers!