Wins are hard to come by this season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Their new Big 3 has played just six minutes together and missed a combined 29 games just 18 games into the season. Still, the Sixers managed to escape Detroit with a win, but even what should be considered a happy occasion has its baggage.
Just four minutes into the contest, Andre Drummond would find his night over after landing on the foot of former Sixers Tobias Harris. The team’s medical staff later confirmed that Drummond had suffered a sprained ankle. After the game, Sixers HC Nick Nurse commented on the injury, the latest in a far too long line for Philadelphia, and the potential timeline for Drummond’s return.
“I don’t know,” Nurse said. “Again, they did all the X-rays and stuff, and it is just a sprain. So there’s nothing else there. I mean, he’s going to be in a boot, yeah, I’d say a minute. I think they heard Simon (Rice) say something like, it’s maybe not as bad as it looked, but again, it’s a sprain. He’s a big guy, all that kind of stuff.”
Drummond had started the game off hot for Philadelphia, but the Sixers carried on in his absence, putting in work in his place.
Nick Nurse would substitute rookie Adem Bona in Drummond’s place, and this year’s No. 41 draft pick performed admirably in his absence. Bona would finish the game having played 20 minutes, racking up four points, five rebounds, and three blocks on the night.
Philadelphia would jump out to an early lead, pulverizing the Pistons both inside the paint and outside the arc. The Sixers rode their wave of adrenaline to a 17-point lead after the first quarter, a positive start for a team in such desperate need of a win.
Detroit would bounce back from deep in the second quarter, but a dominant effort in the third, the quarter which far too often had plagued the Sixers, saw them seize the opportunity in front of them, leading to a final score of 111-96.
Down the final stretch, in the fourth quarter, there was a bit of a scare for Sixers fans as Paul George, who was attempting to recover a loose ball, had Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio land awkwardly on his right knee, notably not the knee where George has suffered two bone bruises this season.
George would head to the bench and would miss the rest of the game. George was seen on the sideline stretching out and massaging his knee, but at this time, it does not appear that he will miss any additional time, thankfully.
Up next for the Sixers
Philadelphia will have a nice mini-break as they will not play again until Tuesday when they will face the Charlotte Hornets at 7:00 p.m. in the final game of the NBA Cup’s group stage. As always, you can watch it on NBC Sports Philadelphia or listen live at 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.