76ers at Pistons
THE STORY: Philadelphia will no doubt be watching the scoreboard when it closes the season Thursday night at Detroit. The Sixers are jockeying with the New York Knicks for the seventh seed in the East. Should the Sixers and Knicks both win or lose Thursday, the Sixers will open with the Chicago Bulls. If the Sixers win in Detroit and the Knicks lose in Charlotte, then the Sixers will play Miami. Evan Turner had a career-high 29 points in the Sixers’ 99-85 victory at Milwaukee.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia (Sixers), FSN Detroit (Pistons)
ABOUT THE SIXERS (35-30): The 76ers rested several key players against the Bucks. Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young stayed at home and Lou Williams sat out. Turner, who had 13 rebounds and six assists, said playing 40-plus minutes required an adjustment. “It feels good but when you haven’t done it in a while, you’re killing your stomach a little bit, you’re tired,” Turner said. “I was just happy we could come out here and get a win.”
ABOUT THE PISTONS (24-41): Detroit will say goodbye to center Ben Wallace, who is retiring after 16 seasons - nine with the Pistons - and helped them win the 2004 NBA title. “What he decides to do, ultimately, is totally on him,” coach Lawrence Frank said. “The impact he's had on our team is well-documented.” Detroit will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season. They will try to avoid a season by Philadelphia, which has won the first three meetings by an average of 24.3 points.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Neither team has reached 100 points in three meetings this season.
2. Philadelphia is seeking its first season sweep of Detroit since 2000-01.