Duncan Robinson led seven Detroit players in double figures with 19 points as the host Pistons manhandled the depleted Philadelphia 76ers 131-109 on Thursday.
Javonte Green had 17 points, while Tobias Harris and Ronald Holland tossed in 15 apiece for the Eastern Conference leaders. Jalen Duren had 14 points with 10 rebounds and Isaiah Stewart supplied 13 points. Kevin Huerter contributed 12 points, and All-Star Cade Cunningham added eight points and doled out 13 assists.
The Sixers also had seven players in double figures, topped by MarJon Beauchamp with 17 points. Jabari Walker contributed 16 points and Cameron Payne had 15. Quentin Grimes added 14 points, but rookie VJ Edgecombe was limited to 10 on 3-of-14 shooting.
Detroit shot 53.9% from the field, including 40% on 3-point attempts (14 of 35).
The Pistons were missing one starter — Ausar Thompson (ankle). Meanwhile, the Sixers played without Joel Embiid (oblique), Paul George (suspension), Adem Bona (back), Johni Broome (knee), Tyrese Maxey (finger), Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow) and Andre Drummond (back).
Detroit has won the first three games of the season series.
The Pistons were up by double digits five minutes into the contest. The Sixers came within five points late in the quarter but Harris restored the double-digit advantage with a 3-pointer.
An 11-3 run to start the second quarter increased the Pistons’ lead to 17 at 47-30. Huerter knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during that span.
The lead was still 12 with less than three minutes left in the half. Philadelphia reeled off eight straight points to pull within four before the Pistons ended the half with a 5-0 spurt, capped by a Paul Reed layup. That gave Detroit a 69-60 lead, with Harris and Robinson finishing the half with 11 points apiece.
The Pistons opened the second half with a 9-3 spurt, capped by a Robinson layup. A Harris layup midway through the quarter made it 90-69. The lead was 104-81 when the quarter ended.
