Jaylen Brown scores 30 as 76ers hold off Pistons 112-106, avenging their only loss
Jaylen Brown's 30 points and a late block on Cade Cunningham lifted the 76ers past Detroit 112-106, moving Philadelphia to 8-1.
The Philadelphia 76ers got their revenge on Detroit Wednesday night. They beat the Pistons 112-106 at Little Caesars Arena, wiping out the one blemish on their record and moving to 8-1. Jaylen Brown led the way with 30 points, his best total since arriving in Philadelphia, and he also made the defensive play that settled the game.
Brown shot 11-for-19, went 3-for-5 from three and grabbed seven rebounds. According to SB Nation's Bell Ringer, he had 23 points by halftime. He got most of them in isolation, pulling up over whichever defender Detroit put on him. The Sixers led by 14 at the break, but the Pistons came back late. With Detroit down four and under a minute to go, Brown blocked a Cade Cunningham three-point attempt. Liberty Ballers had the block at 38 seconds left and noted that this was Philadelphia's first win over the Pistons since November 2024.
Brown had plenty of help. Joel Embiid scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, four of them offensive. It was an uneven night for him. Early on he relied on free throws and the two-man game with LeBron James while his jumper wasn't falling. Late, he made the free throws that kept Detroit at a distance. FOX 29 reported that Embiid was called for a technical foul late in the first half after a review found he had started contact with Pistons center Tolu Smith.
James finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, two assists short of his first triple-double as a Sixer. His strongest stretch came early in the second quarter. He assisted on three baskets, scored twice and blocked a shot, all inside about five minutes, and the lead grew to double digits. His second field goal of the night was the 16,000th of his career, and SB Nation noted that no other player in NBA history has reached that number.
The result matters beyond the standings. Detroit handed Philadelphia its only loss, 106-93 at home in the season's sixth game, and FOX 29 described the Pistons as division leaders coming in. Beating them on their floor, and holding on after a 14-point halftime lead shrank, gives the Sixers a result that answers that loss.
What it means for Cleveland
Philadelphia keeps traveling and plays the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night (Prime Video). The Sixers have won five straight and are 4-0 on the road, with wins at New York, Indiana, Charlotte and now Detroit. The streak has been built on narrow margins, though. Four of the five wins came by six points or fewer, and only the 126-107 win over Chicago was decided early. Through nine games the Sixers have outscored opponents 999-947, about 5.8 points a night, which fits a team that wins close games more than it runs opponents off the floor.
The Sixers have already played Cleveland once. They won 114-106 at home in their second game of the season, another single-digit result. Friday's game is their first trip to Cleveland. The main question is whether Brown can keep scoring at this level next to James and Embiid. If he can, the Sixers' offense becomes harder to defend. If he can't, it falls back on two stars who are carrying a heavy load in the half court, as the second half in Detroit showed.
