The Sixers have one more preseason contest before the games count, and Joel Embiid certainly looks ready for that moment.
Embiid was dominant Tuesday night, with 24 points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes as the Sixers beat the Detroit Pistons, 106-86.
Six players missed Tuesday's game. Ben Simmons (back tightness), James Ennis (right calf strain) and Al Horford (rest) were out for the Sixers, and Andre Drummond (rest), Blake Griffin (left hamstring soreness) and Markieff Morris (illness) sat for Detroit.
The Sixers, 4-0 in the preseason, play the Wizards on Friday at 7 p.m. before their regular season opener next Wednesday vs. the Celtics.
• Detroit started Thon Maker in Drummond’s place. Embiid attacked him immediately, scoring the Sixers’ first six points on a jumper from the foul line, two free throws earned after a strong drive to the rim and a lefty layup that was a byproduct of deep post positioning.
It was a predictably aggressive start by Embiid, who had 12 points in the first quarter and made all six of his free throws. Playing against Drummond might have been better preparation for the regular season, but looking to be ruthless inside vs. overmatched players is useful for Embiid, too. He finds himself in that situation plenty.
• Josh Richardson started at point guard, a look Brett Brown said pregame he was “excited” to further explore.
Richardson had 11 points on 4 for 12 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and two turnovers. He sometimes struggles playing against length and through contact, but he’s tended to make good decisions with the ball in his hands.
If Richardson begins the season as the backup point guard — as he was Sunday night against the Magic — that would shift the competition between Raul Neto and Trey Burke to the background.
Burke played with the regulars and had six points and an assist in 15 minutes.
• Shake Milton saw time off the bench at the wing next to Richardson and turned in a solid performance, with six points on 3 for 5 shooting. He’s generally kept his man in front of him on defense during the preseason and had a well-timed block on Derrick Rose at the end of the first quarter.
• Matisse Thybulle has an exceptional ability to chew up ground and recover when he’s seemingly out of the play.
“I make a lot of mistakes, it’s just covered up by steals and deflections,” he said before the game, a humble assessment.
Brown has encouraged Thybulle to gamble and make those “mistakes,” and he’s delivered with disruptive defense. The rookie had seven points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks in his first career start.
• Even though Tobias Harris started at power forward in this game, the continued emphasis on getting him opportunities with his back to the basket was noticeable. The movement around Harris and understanding of how to play off him in the post is still developing, but the desire to put Harris in more of those spots makes sense. When he has size and strength on an opponent — as he will often this season at small forward — Harris is good at taking his time and making his advantages count.
He had 10 points on 4 for 11 shooting, five rebounds and three assists vs. Detroit.
• The question of whether the Sixers have adequate outside shooting after the departure of JJ Redick remains a valid one. They entered Tuesday’s game shooting 34.5 percent from three-point range in the preseason, and that percentage fell after a 6 for 24 night.
Furkan Korkmaz’s path to consistent minutes is through helping to mitigate that issue. He has a reputation as a three-point marksman, though he’s shot just 32.3 percent from long range in 62 NBA career games. His performance Tuesday — 10 points on 4 for 7 shooting (2 for 4 from three) — might strengthen his case in Brown’s eyes.
• Kyle O’Quinn seems to make at least one eyebrow-raising pass every game — in a good way. He had nine assists in Orlando and five Tuesday, including a perfectly timed and weighted bounce pass to Thybulle for a dunk.
Sneak it to Matisse.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 16, 2019
O'Quinn sends it over with a sneaky dime to Thybulle, who goes in for the slam! pic.twitter.com/kOAXLYJXCv
• Two-way player Norvel Pelle kept the crowd at Wells Fargo Center excited late with his blend of lobs, blocked shots and theatrical poses. He played the entire fourth quarter and had 13 points and five blocks.
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