Jaylen Brown delivers as Sixers hang on in win over Pistons

The Philadelphia 76ers earned a hard-fought 112-106 win Wednesday night in Detroit against the Pistons. Jaylen Brown led the way for the Sixers with 30 points, while Joel Embiid added 26 points and 15 rebounds.

Here's what I took away from the game.

Defense first, second and last

This Sixers defense is relentless at its best, as it was throughout most of the game. Joel Embiid's revitalization has been transformative, giving the team a legitimate rim protector again, but the entire rotation has bought into this defensive identity.

Throughout the first half, they did a fantastic job putting Cade Cunningham in uncomfortable spots, lulling him into one-on-one play and either forcing tough shots or, recognizing him as the Pistons' primary shot creator, forcing the ball out of his hands. Between their stifling defense of Cunningham and Embiid's presence down low, the Sixers held the Pistons to 42 points.

The Sixers are quite literally built for this, with multiple defenders capable of making players like Cunningham work for everything. Adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to VJ Edgecombe certainly helps, but adding Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has given the Sixers a wealth of versatile defenders. Still, there's only so much one can do to slow down a player as talented as Cunningham.

The Pistons gained some ground in the second half, as the Sixers allowed them to move the ball with purpose, create open looks from three and become the aggressors, putting Philadelphia on its heels. Beyond the far-too-easy looks from deep, the Sixers gave up too many opportunities inside, including some easy looks off the short roll.

In a game of runs, you have to be ready for every punch and counterpunch your opponent throws. While they may not have dominated defensively for the full 48 minutes, the Sixers showed impressive resilience, doing enough on that end to win a tough, physical game against one of the NBA's top teams, largely due to a momentum-swinging block by Jaylen Brown down the stretch.

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Jaylen Brown delivers while battling through pain

Brown's 30 points, his highest scoring mark to date as a Sixer, were huge for Philadelphia. He scored at all three levels and drew plenty of contact, working his way to the line for seven free-throw attempts.

After noticeably struggling against the Pistons in their first matchup of the season, Brown got his lick back and delivered for his team on both ends.

As big as Brown's scoring performance was for the Sixers, it was his defense down the stretch that sealed this game for Philly. With the Pistons on a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter, Cade Cunningham took a three-pointer in rhythm, but Brown blocked it and recovered, getting the ball to Embiid and forcing the Pistons to foul, generating the Sixers' first points in over two minutes.

Brown halted the Pistons' momentum with that block and set up the ensuing parade of intentional fouls and free-throw opportunities for the Sixers.

What makes the performance even more impressive is that Brown is still dealing with left patellar tendinopathy. You wouldn't know it from some of his highlights from the night, but at other moments you could clearly see him feeling the effects.

After the team's Monday night matchup against the Bulls, Brown acknowledged he's not overly concerned about the injury, but he also said he has moments of soreness and flare-ups and can feel the effects, especially in his explosiveness.

For Brown to put all of that aside when his team needed him on both ends? It deserves recognition.

Final thoughts

• Joel Embiid deserves his flowers, too. On a night when Tyrese Maxey was relatively quiet until the fourth quarter, the Sixers needed Embiid's offensive presence and, even more so, his effort on the boards. Embiid's 15 rebounds were his most since Jan. 22 of last season and marked just the second time he's reached that number since tearing his meniscus against the Warriors in January 2024. Embiid has fought through more than most over his NBA career, but he seems, for now, to have worked his way past the limitations that have plagued him over the past couple of seasons.
• It was a frustrating start for Tyrese Maxey, but once again, he made an impact in the fourth quarter. Scoring 11 of his 19 points in the final period, Maxey was the Sixers' lone consistent source of offense late in the game.
• The Sixers' half-court offense down the stretch was an absolute mess. Unforced turnovers, questionable shot selection and the added frustration of shots not falling even when they generated good looks. The Sixers have been largely great to start the season, but the half-court offense remains an issue. Ideally, it will improve with more games played together, but the team can't rely purely on hope to solve this problem.
• Adem Bona suffered a minor neck injury Monday night against the Bulls and seemed to aggravate it against the Pistons. With Dominick Barlow still a week and a half to two weeks away, the Sixers can't afford to lose any more big-man depth.

Up next for the Sixers

The Sixers continue their trip through the Central Division with a Friday night matchup against the Cavaliers in Cleveland before heading to Chicago for a rematch against the Bulls on Sunday.

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