The Philadelphia 76ers are still a work in progress. Despite a 21-10 record, which includes some really impressive wins, they still have some kinks to work out. That’s what the regular season is for! To work out the little issues that hinder them over the long 82 games before the playoffs begin in mid-April.
Their opponent on Monday is the injury hobbled and struggling Detroit Pistons who are missing a few big pieces from their starting lineup. They have been missing starting point guard Reggie Jackson since October while superstar Blake Griffin hasn’t been at the same level due to his knee issues.
With that being said, it’s now time for the guide to Monday’s matchup:
How to watch Sixers vs. Pistons
- Date: Monday, December 23
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Little Caesars Arena Detroit, MI
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia+
Injury Report
- Sixers: OUT: Matisse Thybulle(right knee sprain)
- Pistons: OUT: Reggie Jackson(left lumbar spine), Khyri Thomas(right foot), Christian Wood(left knee bone bruise) QUESTIONABLE: Blake Griffin(flu), Derrick Rose(left knee soreness), Luke Kennard(bilateral knee soreness)
Storylines
Sixers believe they can be better
Despite a relatively easy win over the Wizards on Saturday, the Sixers feel like they can be better. There were stretches in the game where the Wizards got whatever they wanted and it turned what was a 23-point lead down to single-digits in the third quarter before the Sixers refocused and got the job done. They can get away with that against a team like Washington, but it will hurt them in other matchups against elite teams.
“It’s good when we win, we still think we can play a lot better,” said Tobias Harris. “We think, for sure in today’s game, in that second quarter we can play better in different moments. We’ll take the positives from it because we got a win and we were able to have a good win with guys stepping up. Take the positives from it and be ready for our next game.”
Burke stepping up
With the Sixers struggling to score against a zone defense, coach Brett Brown made a change in his rotation and he went with Trey Burke rather than Raul Neto as his backup point guard. Burke responded with 12 points and knocking down a few outside shots to help Philadelphia bust the zone and force the Wizards to go back to a man-to-man defensive scheme.
“We were trying to get more pace to what we were doing to get into the seams of the zone to give Trey a chance to use his skill set,” said Brown. “It’s something a little bit different. I thought that he played really well tonight and I was very happy with him.”
Prediction
The Pistons are hobbled and they have seemed a bit lost for the most part of the season. Philadelphia will come in focused and wanting to fix some minor issues before the ginormous Christmas Day showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks. With Detroit’s issues combined with Philadelphia’s superior talent and wanting to fix some things, this should be a relatively easy win for the Sixers on the road.
Pick: Sixers by double-digits
Sixers vs. Pistons season series
Game 1 October 26: 117-111 Sixers
Game 2 December 23:
Game 3 March 11:
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