Coming off one of their most impressive performances of the season, perhaps the Philadelphia 76ers can look to the Detroit Pistons as a source of inspiration. The Sixers aim for their second straight victory and fourth in six games when they travel to Detroit on Saturday. The Pistons are in the midst of a dramatic turnaround, having won 10 of 12 after a 98-96 victory at Indiana on Friday.
Philadelphia got huge numbers from two of its young, rising stars in Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel in a 96-81 win over New Orleans on Friday, making the Sixers a respectable 6-8 since a 2-23 start. "When you start getting wins, you get greedy," Sixers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "You want them all." The Pistons have experienced the same concept, surging up the Eastern Conference standings since dumping free-agent bust Josh Smith on Dec. 22.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TCN Philadelphia, FSN Detroit
ABOUT THE 76ERS (8-31): Philadelphia is showing off its quality depth as it plays without leading scorer Tony Wroten, who won't travel to Detroit and will miss his third straight game with a sprained knee. Carter-Williams (15.5 points, 7.2 assists, 6.4 rebounds) and Robert Covington (12.6 points) picked up the scoring slack against the Pelicans and Noel (8.1 points, 7.2 rebounds) was dominant inside. The rookie big man posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, responding to Brown's instruction to "really start demanding" the ball.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (15-25): Detroit endured its first real clunker since waiving Smith in a 105-94 loss to New Orleans on Wednesday, but the Pistons pushed that memory aside when Andre Drummond tipped in a game-winner with 0.3 seconds left to beat the Pacers. Point guard Brandon Jennings (15.5 points, 6.4 assists) continued his torrid stretch with a season-high 37 points and has averaged 23.9 points over a nine-game stretch. Big man Greg Monroe (15 points, 9.6 rebounds) also has been effective since the roster change, tallying eight double-doubles in the past 12 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The 76ers won the first meeting of the season, 108-101 in overtime on Dec. 6 in Detroit, but the Pistons have won five of the past seven meetings at home.
2. The Pistons average 8.65 3-point field goals per game, on pace to shatter the franchise record, and connected on 13 on Friday.
3. The 76ers have not scored more than 96 points in their last 16 games.