Barkley shrugs off Embiid-Smith scuffle as 76ers beat Pistons and move to 8-1

The shoving match between Joel Embiid and Tolu Smith of the Pistons made plenty of highlight reels Wednesday night. On TNT's "Inside the NBA" set, it didn't get much respect. The NY Post reported that Shaquille O'Neal joked he would call the police on the two big men. Charles Barkley waved that off right away: "I've been kissed harder." Kenny Smith then needled Barkley about his love life.

The play started with a missed shot. Jaylen Brown was fouled, and Embiid went up for the rebound anyway. Smith knocked the ball out of his hands, a little pushing followed, and teammates and coaches came onto the floor to separate them before it went further. According to Yahoo Sports, which drew on Associated Press reporting, Embiid got a technical late in the first half after officials reviewed the play and decided he had started the contact. The Post also noted an awkward moment earlier in the game. On a pump fake, Embiid's leg appeared to catch Cade Cunningham low as he passed the ball.

Outside of the scuffle, Philadelphia played well. The 76ers won 112-106 in Detroit and avenged their only loss of the season, a 106-93 home defeat to the same Pistons. Brown led all scorers with a season-high 30 points. He also blocked Cunningham with 37 seconds left to keep Detroit from getting within three. Embiid had 26 points and 15 rebounds. LeBron James finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and along the way he became the first player in NBA history to make 16,000 field goals, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 15,837.

The night wasn't clean all the way through. Philadelphia led by 17 late and watched Detroit cut into it, with Duncan Robinson scoring 27 and Cunningham adding 26 points and 11 assists. Tyrese Maxey had been scoring at least 26 points in every game, but he was held to a season-low 19 on 5-of-16 shooting. That the Sixers still won on the road against the Central Division leaders, now 6-2, says a lot about how deep this roster is.

What it means for Cleveland

The win lifts Philadelphia to 8-1, the most wins in the league and first place in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers have won five straight since the loss to Detroit: at Indiana (114-109), at home against New York (98-93), at Charlotte (109-104), at home against Chicago (126-107) and now in Detroit. Four of those five were decided by six points or fewer. That points to a team winning tight games, not running opponents off the floor.

Next up is a trip to Cleveland on Friday, streaming on Prime Video. The Sixers already beat the Cavaliers 114-106 at home in the third game of the season, so this is a chance to sweep the early-season series on the road. It's also the second night after an emotional game in Detroit. How the Sixers handle that turnaround will say more about them than one shoving match. Embiid's technical counts toward his season total, but none of the reporting points to any further discipline.

One more thing to watch is how the scoring is split. Brown and Embiid carried the load in Detroit while Maxey struggled. Against a Cleveland team they've already beaten once, a return to form from Maxey would give Philadelphia a third scorer it didn't have Wednesday.