The Detroit Pistons got their two highest-paid players, Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee, back on Saturday after the duo each missed five consecutive games
It wasn’t enough to slow down the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid scored a game-high 29 points and shot 11-for-13 from the floor to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-104 victory against the Pistons (20-48). Rookie Tyrese Maxey added 22 points, and Dwight Howard scored 19 and grabbed 14 rebounds. Former Piston Tobias Harris tallied 18 points.
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Grant and Saddiq Bey, who returned to Wells Fargo Center after playing two seasons at Villanova, each scored 14 points for the Pistons. Mason Plumlee added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Killian Hayes tallied 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.
With the win, the 76ers maintained the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and won their eighth straight game.
Sirvydis plays meaningful minutes, shows promise
We haven’t seen much of Deividas Sirvydas this season. The Lithuanian wing, drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2019 and signed to a three-year deal in November, was expected to spend significant time in the G League. That was before the Grand Rapids Drive opted out of the bubble, leaving the Pistons without a G League team this season.
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Sirvydis had only played 49 minutes this season, almost all during garbage time. But he was a significant part of the rotation against the Sixers, playing the entire second quarter and making an appearance in the fourth as well. He played well enough that the coaching staff may have to consider giving him more run with four games remaining.
He was a key part of a second-quarter 20-6 run to reduce a 22-point deficit to eight midway through the period. Sirvydis led a fast break and found Sekou Doumbouya for a layup early in the period; he also hit two of his three 3-point attempts before halftime. He added a layup in the fourth quarter, receiving Killian Hayes’ fourth assist in transition and also grabbed five rebounds.
Grant, Plumlee return after absences
The Pistons’ two biggest offseason signings, Grant and Plumlee, have largely been out over the last month or so as the team has prioritized getting its young players more minutes. Grant had missed five consecutive games, and 11 of 16 due to a quad injury, knee soreness and rest. Plumlee had also missed five straight games, and eight of 12, due to rest.
They were two of Detroit’s better statistical performers, but the bench unit was better than the starting lineup during most of the game. All five starters had a plus-minus of at least -11 for the night, and the second unit briefly brought the Pistons back into the game in the second period after the Pistons trailed by 17 after the first quarter.
Detroit couldn’t overcome a poor start, committing five turnovers in the first half of the first quarter and opening the game 1-for-6 from the floor. The Sixers scored 11 of the first 13 points of the game and led by double-digits for most of it.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.