The Pistons are denied...twice

     The 76ers took a trip to Detroit, and the Sixers were not very good guests. Without Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese rolled over the Pistons. Harden had a triple double, hauling in 11 rebounds and dishing an equal amount of assists. He added 20 points to his stat list. Maxey had 23 points and Paul Reed had 12 rebounds as they cruised to a 123-111 victory.

    They shut down the Pistons, denied them at their own court. Then when the Pistons visited Philly, the Sixers weren't great hosts. In fact, they were terrible hosts. They throttled the Pistons and scored 147 points. No Detroit player had 20 points, (No Detroit player had even over 17), and Joel Embiid thrashed them with 36 points and 11 rebounds. You may be thinking: But those are usual Embiid stats, how is it a thrashing? Well, Joel Embiid did all his damage in less than 24 minutes. It was ridiculous. 

    Harden shone with his second triple double in a row. He had more rebounds than Embiid, grabbing 12 of them, and also had 15 assists. He added a nice 16 points to the mix, and that was enough. 

    

Harden had a triple double as the 76ers crushed Detroit

Photo Credit: Sixers Wire
 

    Even their little used guard Jaden Springer let go with 10 points and two rebounds. 

    But they weren't able to beat the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ripped Philly at the Wells Fargo Center, dropping 37 points and grabbing eight boards. Embiid's 30 points and 10 rebounds couldn't save them. Neither could Harden's 24 points and 15 assists. Maxey had 17 points but made 0 of his four three point attempts.

    They are 25-16 and still rolling having won six of their last 10 games. Losses aren't really slowing the 76ers down because of their virtually loaded team. They group is full of stars, and their so good that their bench is better than many teams. Their next games will be harder, as some of the teams include the Nuggets, the Nets, and the solid Kings who have been playing well.

The above photo was taken from a Sixers Wire article. Photo taken by Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports. Image used for commentary.