Pistons at 76ers
The Detroit Pistons will search for some consistency on the offensive end when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. After a 114-108 overtime win over Charlotte on Feb. 23, the Pistons dipped to 98 points in a loss to Boston, scored 120 to defeat Portland and then sagged to 86 in a 23-point loss at New Orleans on Wednesday.
"I don't even know what to say. It's pretty hard to play like that," coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters after his team went an abysmal 3-of-17 from the foul line. "On top of that, it's incredibly disheartening when you make a good offensive play and you draw the foul and it amounts to zero. It's the same thing as a turnover. Yeah it was a really, really rough night." The primary culprit in the free-throw department was center Andre Drummond, who made 1-of-10 before being ejected in the fourth quarter, although he did manage his 41st double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Sixers rookie forward Dario Saric had a double-double of his own with 21 points and 10 boards in a 105-102 home win over the New York Knicks on Friday. The result snapped Philadelphia's three-game slide and marked the team's best defensive effort since Feb. 13.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, TCN (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (29-32): Point guard Reggie Jackson's struggles continued in the loss to New Orleans, as he missed all three of his 3-point tries and was 4-of-16 overall in an eight-point effort. Backup Ish Smith also had eight points but in just 19 minutes off the bench and he continues to make his case to steal more of Jackson's playing time, although Smith continues to support his struggling teammate. "I don't like that (talk), because Reggie's our guy," Jackson told MLive of Jackson, who averaged 10.1 points while shooting 37.4 percent in February. "And for us to be who we are and to be great, we need him to be great. And so, I'm in his corner. We need our fans to be in his corner. We need everybody to be in his corner."
ABOUT THE 76ERS (23-38): Swingman Justin Anderson matched his career high with 19 points in Friday's win and he is 14-for-20 from the floor over a three-game span. Forward Robert Covington chipped in 16 points and has at least 15 in eight straight games, although he was just 2-for-10 from the floor in a loss at Detroit last month. Covington also recorded a career-high five blocked shots versus the Knicks, which matches the highest total for a Philadelphia player this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Saric has five of his nine double-doubles since Feb. 13.
2. Pistons SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is shooting 38 percent on the road and is 4-for-21 from the field in his last two games away from home.
3. Detroit entered Friday's action third in the NBA with 11.7 turnovers per game and Philadelphia was 29th with 16.2.