76ers carry 7-1 start and a passing streak into Detroit, the only team to beat them

Before the season, the main question about the Philadelphia 76ers was whether one basketball could keep LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe happy. Eight games in, the answer is a 7-1 record. Monday's 126-107 home win over Chicago was the clearest case yet: Philadelphia assisted on 36 of its 48 field goals.

Paul Hudrick of SB Nation's Liberty Ballers, writing after the Bulls game, described a locker room that is enjoying itself. Maxey led the team with 26 points and 11 assists. Brown had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. James finished with 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Embiid added 15 points and eight rebounds while playing on a minutes restriction as he manages plantar fasciitis. James also went viral after colliding with a courtside fan, spilling the man's wine and then tasting it himself. His verdict, according to the outlet: "It was alright."

Edgecombe may have gained the most from the night. The second-year guard scored a season-high 21 points, his first game over 20 this season, and added five assists. Several of his baskets were transition dunks off long bounce passes from James. Liberty Ballers traced that connection back to training camp, when James told Edgecombe to keep running and trust that the ball would arrive on time. Edgecombe told the outlet that he does not worry about his lower usage on a team that is winning. Brown said the group had not yet shown its best version, which fits a team whose starters are still getting used to each other.

The result keeps going what the box scores have been showing for two weeks. Philadelphia has won six straight, with victories over Milwaukee, Indiana, Charlotte and Chicago and a 2-0 record against New York. Most of those wins were close. Three of the six came by five points or fewer, and the Bulls game was the first real blowout during the streak.

What it means for Wednesday at Detroit

The next game is the one Philadelphia has been waiting for. The Pistons handed the Sixers their only loss, 106-93 in Philadelphia, and the 93 points that night are still the team's season low. Wednesday's game is in Detroit. Embiid's plantar fasciitis is the main thing to watch, since he was on a minutes limit as recently as Monday.

Even with the streak, Detroit is a slight favorite on this site's board for the game, which tracks 12 venues. On the moneyline, Novig has the Pistons favored at -120 and the Sixers at +115, so $100 on Philadelphia would return $115 in profit there. Novig's spread is Detroit -2.5. Detroit at +102 on Novig pays more than any other Pistons spread price on the board, while the next best is BetRivers at -113 on a shorter line of -1.5. On the total, Novig sits at 218.5 with the over at +102. The best over elsewhere is DraftKings at -110 on 217.5. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 2.8% to 4.9%, which leaves a noticeable gap between the cheapest and most expensive venues on the same outcome.

The price says Detroit is the team to beat in the building. The record says Philadelphia hasn't lost in two weeks.