Tobias Harris haunts former team as 76ers hammer Pistons
Tuesday 24 December 2019 09:08, UK
Tobias Harris scored 35 points against his former team and Ben Simmons added a triple-double as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons.
Two years ago, the Pistons and LA Clippers made a blockbuster trade, with Blake Griffin coming to the Motor City in exchange for Harris.
On Monday night, it appeared the long-term winner of the trade has been the Philadelphia 76ers. Harris outscored Griffin 35-8 as the Sixers beat the Pistons 125-109.
"We were able to get our offense rolling, score, get stops and get out in transition," said Harris, who was traded from the Clippers to Philadelphia in February. "We did a good job of just attacking."
Joel Embiid had 20 points and eight rebounds for the 76ers, who improved to 11-4 in their last 15 games. Simmons finished with 16 points, a career-high 17 assists and 13 rebounds, becoming the first Philadelphia player to produce such a stat line since Wilt Chamberlain did it twice in 1968.
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"I was just sharing the ball, moving with pace and trying to tighten any gaps," he said.
Reserve Furkan Korkmaz added a career-high 21. "Furkan gave us some good contributions," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "We had 33 assists and 12 turnovers, which is an incredible ratio - Ben had 17 of those assists - and I especially liked our offensive rebounding."
Andre Drummond had 27 for the Pistons, who have lost five in a row. Griffin, who had missed the previous two games with knee soreness, scored eight points on 2-for-14 shooting.
"I've got no excuse, said Griffin, who has also been dealing with flu-like symptoms. "I have just got to be better. I am used to contributing more and I just haven't been able to do that."
The Pistons rebounded a season-low 59 per cent of Philadelphia's missed shots. Detroit's three lowest defensive-rebound percentages of the season, all under 70 per cent, have come in the last three games.
"We have been looking at it, believe me," Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. "Some of it is just boxing out, but a lot of it is guys coming in from the corners. It is a little bit of everything. Guys are shooting in and we don't have vision of them, and when Andre helps on someone, we have to crack down on his man."
Drummond sat out the first 8:42 of the game after missing shootaround Monday morning. It was the first time he had come off the bench since his rookie season.
"That's a team rule," Casey said. "We might be getting our butts kicked on the floor, but we're going to have discipline."
The Sixers led by as many as 12 in the first half, but Svi Mykhailiuk and Markieff Morris combined for 19 points to keep Detroit within 60-52.
Late in the half, Harris threw a misplaced lob to Simmons, who was able to reach back and make a reverse lay-up. On the next possession, the pair flipped roles, with Harris guiding a Simmons alley-oop into the basket.
"He had a small defender, and I know he can make spectacular plays, so I just threw the ball in the air," Harris said. "He made a crazy lay-up and the next time he threw me one... I have athleticism like he does. I managed to get it in, so that was cool."
