Joel Embiid gave the Detroit Pistons another reason to circle the Philadelphia 76ers on the calendar.
The two teams have already met twice in a pair of close, heated games, and things got even more chippy when Embiid was retroactively hit with a flagrant one for kicking Cade Cunningham in the marbles on what was supposed to be a shot attempt but turned into a pass.
Cunningham defended Embiid well on the 3-point line, maybe too well, and Embiid created space by intentionally kicking out his leg in a very awkward, non-basketball move that should have been whistled immediately. That brief opening let him finish the rare “kick to the nuts give-and-go" and finish with an easy dunk.
The tension didn’t stop there. Embiid later got into pushing and shoving with Tolu Smith, then picked up a technical foul after getting heated. It could have even been his second of the game if the officials had caught the earlier play.
It wasn’t the dirtiest play around, or even close to the top 100, but it was enough to leave some bad blood behind for the next meeting.
And that’s what makes this interesting for Detroit. Rivalries in the NBA can disappear fast now, with player movement constantly reshuffling the league. The old days of the same stars meeting year after year in the playoffs are mostly gone.
The Pistons and 76ers haven’t had much of a rivalry because it’s been so long since both teams were good at the same time. That appears to be changing.
Right now, both clubs look like the class of the East, and both should be near the top when the regular season ends. That alone gives the matchup some edge, but Detroit also has a team that does not forgive or forget.
The next meeting between the Pistons and 76ers isn’t until February, and Detroit will be ready.
In Other News...
Pistons May Be Near One Costly Decision On Their Title Push
The Knicks aggressive move for Mikal Bridges is a reminder of how quickly a contender can change its ceiling when it is willing to pay a steep price. For the Pistons, that kind of example matters now more than ever, because Detroit is no longer in the stage of simply collecting young talent and waiting for it to bloom. The front office has to think about how to turn a promising core into a team that can actually survive the postseason grind.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has emerged as the sort of target that can tempt a team into making that leap, thanks to his performance and the way he could fit alongside Detroits roster. But the same kind of deal that can accelerate a title push can also leave a franchise thin on future flexibility, and that is the tension hanging over any discussion of a move like this. For now, it is only a possibility, but it is the sort of possibility that forces a serious team to weigh urgency against cost. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit That Embiid Ending
The Pistons left Philadelphia with a 112-106 loss, but the final minutes offered plenty for Detroit fans to replay. Joel Embiid was assessed a flagrant foul penalty 1 after kicking Cade Cunningham in the groin, and the sequence also brought a technical foul for shoving another player, turning an already physical game into one that ended with plenty of frustration on the Detroit side.
Embiid still filled the box score in a big way, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds in a double-double that added another line to his long list of dominant nights. It was his 61st game with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds, the second-most in 76ers history, but for Pistons fans the lasting memory from this one is likely to be the confrontation, not the production. [Read more 🡒]
Ausar Thompson Is Giving The Pistons A New Reason For Optimism
The Pistons came up short in a tight loss to the 76ers, but Ausar Thompson gave them something to take from the night beyond the final score. He was more aggressive than usual, putting up a season high in field goal attempts while contributing in points, rebounds, assists and steals, a reminder that his impact is starting to stretch beyond the defensive end.
What stood out most was the way Thompson kept pressing offensively while still looking efficient doing it, including better work at the free throw line. For a Detroit team that has already shown it can compete early, that kind of growth from Thompson gives the Pistons another reason to believe his role can keep expanding even as he continues to work through the usual growing pains. [Read more 🡒]