Pistons at 76ers
THE STORY:
The truncated NBA season resulted in a number of scheduling quirks. The
road-weary Philadelphia 76ers can attest to that. After playing their
first five games of the campaign in other team’s arenas, the 76ers are
finally returning to Philadelphia. They will be the last NBA team to
play their home opener when the Detroit Pistons come to the Wells Fargo
Center on Friday. Philadelphia showed its mettle on the five-game trip,
overcoming a pair of double-digit holes to win the last two and come
home above .500. "We're 3-2, that was our mission,” guard Jrue Holiday
said. “That's what we wanted to do and we accomplished it." The Pistons
haven’t fared well themselves on the road, losing both games by 10-plus
points. Detroit, however, has won seven of the past nine overall
meetings with Philadelphia.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, CS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE PISTONS (2-4):
The Pistons’ biggest deficiency has been scoring. They are averaging
only 86.8 points per game, third-worst in the league. Shooting guard Ben
Gordon leads the squad at 16.2 points but managed only seven points on 2
of 10 shooting in Wednesday’s loss to Chicago. Second-year center Greg
Monroe continues to be a bright spot while averaging 14.8 points and 8.5
rebounds. Detroit pulls down only 37.8 rebounds per game, 28th in the
NBA.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (3-2): Philadelphia has dropped three
of four home openers but will try to get that corrected behind Holiday
and surprising center Spencer Hawes. Holliday scored 14 of his
season-best 23 points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over New
Orleans while adding eight assists. Hawes is enjoying a career
resurgence in his second season with the 76ers, averaging career-highs
of 13.0 points and 11.4 rebounds. Shooting guard Jodie Meeks is
struggling from 3-point range, having missed 11 of 14.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Pistons are having trouble altering shots, ranking last in the NBA at 2.5 blocks per game.
2. Philadelphia reserve point guard Lou Williams is averaging a team-high 18.2 points in only 26.4 minutes.