Pistons blitz Philly early, then bury them again in the fourth

Detroit didn’t just beat Philadelphia — it controlled the game from the opening tip and never really let the Sixers find a clean stretch. The Pistons walk out of Wells Fargo Center with a 116-93 win after building a 41-31 lead in the first quarter, pushing it to 71-60 by halftime, and then slamming the door with a decisive fourth quarter. The biggest margin reached 26, and while Philadelphia briefly pokes at the gap in the third, Detroit answers every time.

The tone is set early when Detroit strings together an 8-0 push in the first quarter, capped by C. LeVert’s 26-foot running pullup three to stretch the margin from 29-34 to 29-41. That shot doesn’t just end a run — it gives the Pistons their first real breathing room and forces Philadelphia to start playing from behind. Tyrese Maxey and Paul George keep the Sixers within range with 23 and 20 points, respectively, but they never generate the sustained burst needed to flip the night. Detroit’s offense is more balanced, more connected, and far more comfortable attacking in flow.

Tobias Harris is the one who keeps Philadelphia from completely unraveling. He scores 19 with four steals against his former team, and in the third quarter he does his best to drag the Sixers back into striking distance. Detroit is up 67-75 when Harris buries a 9-foot turnaround jumper, the first punch in a 9-0 away run that extends the lead from 67-75 to 67-84. Later, he adds another turnaround fadeaway to help the Pistons break the game open again at 83-104. That sequence is the turning point: every time Philadelphia hints at life, Harris and the Pistons’ shot-making shut it down.

Daniss Jenkins quietly puts together one of the cleanest table-setting performances of the night, racking up 16 points and 14 assists in 32 minutes. He’s the engine behind Detroit’s pace and spacing, feeding the right man at the right time — including a late fourth-quarter finger roll for T. Harris and a stream of clean looks that keep the possession game in Detroit’s favor. Ron Holland II also delivers a sharp finishing touch down the stretch, drilling a 26-foot three with 1:28 left before adding a steal soon after. By then the game is long decided, but the Pistons still look like a team intent on finishing possessions and putting an exclamation point on the road trip.

Philadelphia’s best stretch comes in the third, when V. Edgecombe’s 11-foot step-back jumper helps trim the deficit during a 9-0 home run from 72-93 to 81-93. But that’s as close as the Sixers get. Detroit keeps landing the next hit — a layup, a jumper, a run-out, a timely stop. In the final five minutes, the Pistons are still attacking: T. Harris scores on a driving finger roll, P. Reed finishes at the rim, and D. Barlow adds a dunk and then a cutting layup as the margin stays comfortably out of reach.

For Detroit, this is the kind of road win that matters in the standings and in the locker room. The Pistons handled a Philly team with two high-end scorers, got a 14-assist night from their primary playmaker, and never allowed the game to tilt into real danger. For the Sixers, it’s another reminder that even when Maxey and George score efficiently, the margin for error is thin if the defensive end doesn’t travel. Detroit leaves with momentum and a convincing result; Philadelphia leaves needing a response.