Detroit has its own frontcourt problem, and it has handled it. Jalen Duren, the Pistons' $200M center, strained his right hamstring and is set to be re-evaluated in 2 weeks, which puts that check-in after this game. Detroit is still 6-1, and a lot of that is Cade Cunningham carrying more of the offense. He scored 33 in a 124-91 win in Charlotte where the Pistons won every quarter and held the Hornets to 37 points after halftime. Isaiah Joe has also been out with a hip injury.
Detroit's defense has been the story. Since the win in Philadelphia, the Pistons have held Charlotte to 89 and 91 and Brooklyn to 94. The one game where their offense stalled was a 111-97 loss to the Knicks. The Sixers' offense is moving the other way. They scored 126 against Chicago and shot 52.7%, and VJ Edgecombe went 7-for-7 in the first half on his way to 20, even with his touches down now that LeBron is back. Edgecombe also won the game in Charlotte with LeBron and Embiid out, which says something about how deep this roster is.
So the matchup is pretty simple. Detroit's defense, without Duren, against a Sixers lineup that has had LeBron, Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe starting together for 1 game. Tipoff is 7:00 PM ET. If Embiid plays his usual limited minutes and the Pistons can keep Maxey quiet in the 4th quarter the way they did in Philadelphia, Detroit is in great shape. If not, the Sixers' best 5 is probably good enough to settle the season series on the road.
