The Philadelphia 76ers will face off against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night in downtown Detroit, hoping to start to get on track finally. The Sixers come into this matchup 3-14, trying to fight out the massive hole they have dug for themselves.
Detroit is off to a surprisingly solid start at 9-12 after being one of the worst teams in the league last season and totaling only 14 wins all year. Detroit won the first matchup in Philly earlier in the year, winning 105-95.
Here’s a look at a few things to watch for during tonight’s contest:
Sixers game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (3-14) at Detroit Pistons (9-12)
When: 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: Litte Caesars Arena, Detroit MI
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA League Pass
Will PG return?
Paul George and Joel Embiid have not had the start to the season that they had hoped for, and that has contributed to the Sixers’ terrible start to the season. George returned after a bone bruise he suffered to his left knee, only to suffer the same injury two weeks later.
While Embiid has been ruled out for tonight’s contest against the Pistons, George is questionable after being a full participant in practice on Friday morning. If Paul George can return, it has the ability to help give the Sixers an offensive boost, as this is something they have struggled with all season, being bottom of the league in most offensive categories.
Showing fight
Although the Sixers lost an overtime thriller on Wednesday to the Houston Rockets, they showed some fight throughout the game. They hustled and worked on the offensive glass, helping get much-needed extra possessions. The Pistons are top five in team rebounding, so the Sixers will need to make that a point of emphasis in this matchup. They also played solid defense and climbed out of a double-digit deficit multiple times. That is the type of effort this team needs to play with every night to try to stack wins together.
Tyrese Maxey has been vocal about the type of attitude and effort this team needs to display going forward, and hopefully, they can continue to play like they played Wednesday night and help lead them to a win.
Hello old friend
Former Sixer Tobias Harris has added some veteran experience to the Detroit Pistons this season as they start a new regime under head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He’s averaging 13.1 points per game and pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game, trying to be a connector in the starting lineup of young players. In their last matchup in Philly, he had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. It will be interesting to see if he has a little extra juice against his former team, looking to bury them in a deeper hole early in the season.
