PHILADELPHIA — You won't see many easier wins than the one the Philadelphia 76ers just recorded against the Detroit Pistons. The Sixers cruised to a win with their starting lineup to start the season — James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker and Joel Embiid — playing in just its seventh game.
The whole unit looked great in a win over a bad, injury-riddled Pistons team. Embiid had 36 points on 12-20 shooting and 11 boards, Harden had a 16-12-15 triple-double and Harris scored 14 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting from the field. It should be taken with a grain of salt given the (lack of) strength of the opponent but it is a good sign nonetheless.
“We just have to focus on what works for our group and that is obviously being aggressive defensively and offensively, moving the basketball from side to side and getting easy looks,” Harris said after the win. “Now, obviously it's our seventh game as a collective — that five out there. And game by game, we'll continue to have different guys that have the hot hand and be able to just feed that guy and allow that person to make plays.
”But we know how dominant we are and how great we can be,” Harris continued. “We need games like this to continue to show that. And we got to do that even when we play some of the top teams in the NBA as well, just continue to thrive off of that type of energy.”
The Sixers now have Embiid back from injury and feeling better than he thought he would. His chemistry with Harden was sizzling hot against the Pistons, a continuation of a trend that Philly needs in order to become a truly elite team. With the rest of the guys playing well around them, the lineup has the potential to be one of the best in the league. Philly is surely hoping that it can see a long stretch of the usual starting five together.
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