Sixers Stall Against Surging Pistons
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Kyle Singler scored 20 points, Greg Monroe had a double-double and the Detroit Pistons routed the Philadelphia 76ers 107-89 Saturday night.
Singler shot 6 of 8 on 3-pointers and Monroe finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Pistons won for the ninth time in 11 games and improved to 6-15 at home. Six players scored in double figures for Detroit, and Andre Drummond grabbed 15 rebounds.
Michael Carter-Williams had 15 points for Philadelphia (8-32), but only one other starter reached double figures. Henry Sims contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
The Pistons have struggled with lowly Philadelphia recently, including a home loss this season, but ended most of the suspense on this night in the first half. Detroit hit its first five shots, including a trio of 3-pointers, and led 13-4 after 3 minutes.
Nine first-half turnovers and a few missed shots at the rim let the 76ers hang around for a while, but Detroit led 31-21 at the end of the first quarter and 56-37 at halftime. The Pistons picked up 23 points off 12Philadelphia turnovers and shot 50 percent (8 for 16) on 3s while the 76ers went 2 of 15.
The 76ers started hitting shots in the second half, cutting Detroit's lead to 66-56, but the Pistons used a steal and quick 3-pointer to score five points in the final 5 seconds of the third. That moved the margin to 81-62, and Philadelphia never seriously threatened in the fourth.
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TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia won the previous two meetings, both in embarrassing fashion for the Pistons. In March, the Sixers won 123-98 at home to end their 26-game losing streak, and on Dec. 6, they won 108-101 in overtime at the Palace to improve to 2-18 on the season.
Pistons: Detroit trails Brooklyn by one game for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Pistons haven't made the postseason since 2009, but Stan Van Gundy has never missed the playoffs in his coaching career.
UP NEXT
76ers: Visit the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Pistons: Visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
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