DETROIT, Michigan — Coming into the matchup with the 76ers on Monday, Detroit Pistons’ guard Wayne Ellington had been shooting and scoring at the most impressive rates of his career. His 11.9 points per game, 51.7% field goal percentage and 50% three-point percentage are all career-highs for Ellington.
Ellington made Pistons’ history on Monday; he made a three-pointer in the second quarter, his 25th in a 5-game stretch, setting the record for any Pistons’ player in that amount of games. His 20 points on 5-8 shooting from three were critical as the Pistons’ (4-13) built a double-digit lead, holding on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers (12-6), 119-104.
Ellington’s shooting was critical as the Pistons jumped ahead by double-digits. He and point guard Delon Wright both shot 3-4 from the field in the first quarter as they built the lead to 11. By halftime, Ellington had already hit 4 three-pointers and kept the Pistons’ comfortably ahead.
Derrick Rose missed his second straight game with knee soreness, meaning the Pistons’ backcourt needed a solid performance to beat the top team in Eastern Conference. Ellington and Wright both answered the bell for head coach Dwayne Casey; Wright finished with a career-high 28 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Ellington also had 2 assists and 1 rebound as the Pistons’ backcourt combined for 48 points on the night.
“We are having a tough January, so any game we can get, we need it. It felt good to come out here and beat them on our home floor,” said Wright, speaking with FOX Sports Detroit after the game.
Jerami Grant continues to be a leader for the Pistons in multiple ways; he scored 25 points along with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. Whenever the 76ers seemed to be gaining momentum, the Pistons turned to Grant to run the offense. His length makes him a tough matchup when he puts his head down and drives to the rim, and his aggressiveness on Monday helped him shoot a high percentage and get to the free throw line regularly. He was perfect from the line, adding 10 points there.
The Pistons get a much-needed win over the top team in the Eastern Conference, but stay at the bottom of the conference, still 1.5 games behind the Washington Wizards. The 76ers stay in first in the East, but their lead on the Milwaukee Bucks is now just 1 game.
76ers offense slow without Embiid
When these two teams met on Saturday, 76ers center Joel Embiid was the driving force behind the 76ers 4-point win; he finished the game 33 points and 14 rebounds. However, Embiid suffered a back injury in that game that forced him to miss the rematch on Monday.
Dwight Howard started in his place, but he was not able to get anything going from the paint, finishing with 5 points. With his struggles, Tony Bradley started the second half, and had a bit more success. He finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds off the bench, but the 76ers offense clearly missed their leader, struggling with Embiid out.
The former Pistons’ forward, Tobias Harris, was the leading scorer against his former team, finishing with 25 points on 10-19 shooting from the field
Josh Jackson ejected in the fourth
Pistons shooting guard Josh Jackson played a critical 21 minutes for the Pistons, but his game came to an early end. In the fourth quarter, he got into a confrontation with 76ers forward Mike Scott. Both Jackson and Scott both earned technical fouls, but Jackson stayed in the game and did not let his temper cool off. When Ben Simmons went for a layup, Jackson fouled him hard and ended up throwing the ball at Simmons. Jackson was ejected following the play.
Up Next
76ers vs. Lakers, Wednesday, January 27, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Pistons vs. Cavaliers, Wednesday, January 27, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
