Joel Embiid’s 41 points power Sixers to dominant victory at Detroit Pistons

DETROIT — Tyrese Maxey missed a driving layup in the first half’s waning seconds. But Joel Embiid was there to corral the offensive rebound, then swiftly put the ball into the basket less than a second before the buzzer.

The NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player entered Wednesday with eight consecutive 30-point games. That put-back lifted Embiid to that figure before halftime, before finishing with 41 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists to power the 76ers to a dominant 129-111 victory — and send the Pistons to their 21st consecutive defeat — inside a sparsely populated Little Caesars Arena.

“He’s kind of been in that vibe,” said Sixers coach Nick Nurse of Embiid. “Game days and non-game days, and everything lately. He’s doing it a lot of different ways, too, so that’s good. I think he’s giving [defenses] some variety and unpredictability, as well.

“Mainly, he’s using his skill along with his size to get some point-blank shots.”

It was the second game in a row that Embiid surpassed his season scoring average (33.4 points per game entering Wednesday) in three quarters. He scored 34 points on 14-of-20 shooting before the final frame in Monday’s thrashing of the Washington Wizards. His streak of nine consecutive 30-point games is the longest in the NBA this season, and the second-longest in his career (and in franchise history).

Embiid initially did a bulk of his work at the free-throw line, going 9-of-9 as part of a 19-point opening quarter. He drew two quick fouls on Isaiah Stewart, who drew the defensive assignment on Embiid because Jalen Duren and Marvin Bagley were out with injuries. Backup James Wiseman picked up three first-half fouls, including on a high-arcing and-1 as Embiid fell to the floor.

And when Embiid lured Cade Cunningham into his second foul in the first quarter, Detroit coach Monty Williams looked up and exhaled in frustration. Williams had said before the game, after all, that Embiid had “tricks” to bait contact and that the Pistons needed to counter by showing “innocent” hands.

“Most of the time, if you use your physicality without committing offensive fouls, that kind of puts the defense in bad situations at my position,” Embiid said. “Most of the time, that can earn anybody free throws. That’s really what I saw. Just wanted to be aggressive, and I was just fortunate that they fouled.”

Yet Embiid was also an efficient 14-of-24 from the floor, including a 10-of-15 mark in the first half. In the first quarter, he tipped in his own miss at the rim after going coast-to-coast with the ball. He buried a three-pointer. And during the second period with zero trips to the stripe, he made five of his seven shot attempts, including three jumpers before a spin and score inside.

Perhaps Embiid’s only blunder? When he blew a one-handed dunk late in the third quarter. But on the Sixers’ next possession, he finished inside to put the Sixers (16-7) up by 20 points. He surpassed 40 points on another bucket down low in the third quarter’s final seconds, which put the Sixers up, 104-80.

These two teams will match up again Friday at the Wells Fargo Center, before the Sixers travel to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday for the second half of a back-to-back.

On a night when Maxey went 2-of-13 from the floor for a season-low nine points, Tobias Harris picked up the scoring load with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting including 3-of-5 from three-point range. It was Harris’ highest scoring output since scoring 23 in a Nov. 21 home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nurse highlighted the variety of ways Harris generated shots, including a tone-setting catch-and-shoot three-pointer early on, multiple transition baskets the Sixers “haven’t seen as much” from Harris recently, a put-back, and some isolation buckets.

“A few of them came just by some mismatches, and a few came [from] open-look threes,” Harris added. “Our mentality is, whatever looks you do get, be aggressive and be efficient with it.”

Maxey, who missed his first seven shots, finally got a one to fall about midway through the third quarter. After missing a wide-open three-point attempt, he grabbed the offensive rebound, hit the floater, and clapped his hands above his head in a sarcastic celebration. Nearly a quarter later, Maxey got a driving layup to fall that put the Sixers up 30 with 7:35 to play.

Maxey’s previous season scoring low was 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting on Nov. 22 at the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yet even though he struggled mightily with his shot, he still finished with nine assists and four rebounds. Nurse praised the way Maxey read the defense to make those passes, as well as his aggressive on-ball defense without being “defeated” by screens.

“You can still play good when you go 2-for-13,” Nurse said. “... It isn’t going to go in every night.”

Kelly Oubre Jr. put together his most efficient performance since returning from a fractured rib, going 7-of-9 from the floor (including making his first six attempts) and finishing with 17 points.

The reserve wing first buried a three-point attempt from the right wing, before executing a nifty dribble move around multiple defenders for a little hook shot. After another driving score, he pulled up for three — and pointed and smiled at the Sixers’ bench when it dropped through the net.

Oubre’s second-half stretch included getting free for a breakaway dunk, then throwing down another slam following a feed from Embiid.

Emboldening Oubre’s aggressiveness on both ends of the floor? This was the first game he played without a rib brace.

“I was like, ‘I’m going to give it a go,’” Oubre said. “Psychologically, I’m good. I’m ready. I feel strong.”

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The Sixers had a decisive 53-35 rebounding advantage, including a 10-6 edge on the offensive glass. And through three quarters, the Sixers held the Pistons to 3-of-20 from three point range, while making 10 of their 22 attempts from long range.