76ers 7-1 start: results so far and the Pistons rematch in Detroit tonight

The Philadelphia 76ers are 7-1 after eight games. They have won four straight, and tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 4, they get another shot at the only team that has beaten them. They play the Pistons in Detroit, and the game is on ESPN. The Pistons' 106-93 win in Philadelphia is still the one blemish on an otherwise sharp start.

Our 76ers team page is the full guide to the roster, schedule and season. This story covers the first eight games and what tonight's rematch means.

How the 7-1 start came together

Results are from ESPN:

• W 106-100 at New York
• W 114-106 vs. Cleveland
• W 127-116 vs. Milwaukee
• L 93-106 vs. Detroit
• W 114-109 at Indiana
• W 98-93 vs. New York
• W 109-104 at Charlotte
• W 126-107 vs. Chicago

The Sixers have scored 887 points and allowed 841, which works out to about 110.9 per game for and 105.1 against. That is an average winning margin of nearly six points. They are 4-1 at home and 3-0 on the road, with road wins at Madison Square Garden, Indiana and Charlotte.

Most of the wins have been close. Five of the seven came by eight points or fewer, and three in a row (Indiana, New York at home and Charlotte) were five-point games. Monday's 126-107 win over Chicago was the first big blowout. It was their highest point total since they scored 127 against Milwaukee in the third game.

The early schedule was not soft. Philadelphia has already played New York twice and has wins over Cleveland and Milwaukee, which gives it a 4-0 record against those three teams.

What went wrong against Detroit

The Pistons held Philadelphia to 93 points, its lowest total of the season. That was the only time in eight games the Sixers lost by double digits, and it is one of only two games where they failed to reach 100. The other was a 98-93 win over the Knicks. Before tonight, the question is whether that game was a one-off or a sign that Detroit's defense is a bad matchup for the Sixers. A second meeting this early, and on Detroit's floor, should help answer it.

Injuries and availability

The NBA's official injury report is the place to check who is available before the 7 p.m. tipoff window. Teams update their designations through the afternoon, and late scratches are common in the first month as teams manage minutes. Our team page keeps the current roster.

Where the prices stand

The Pistons are favored. On this site's odds board for tonight's game, which tracks 11 venues, Detroit is -130 on the moneyline at Novig, one of the venues listed. Philadelphia is +127 there, and the highest Sixers price anywhere on the board is +128 at BetRivers. The spread is Detroit -2.5, and some books have Philadelphia at +3.5. The total is 219.5. Combined scores in the Sixers' eight games have gone over that number four times and under it four times. The books' built-in margin, or hold, runs from about 2.6% to 5.1% depending on the market.

Online sports wagering is legal in Pennsylvania and Michigan for adults 21 and over, through licensed operators and only while you are physically inside either state.

What comes next

A win tonight would make it five straight, push the Sixers to 8-1 and split the season series with Detroit so far. A loss would mean that both of their defeats came against the same team. We will update the team page with the result and the next stretch of the schedule once it is final.