Joel Embiid had 37 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Detroit Pistons 120-102 on Tuesday.
Buddy Hield scored 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 17 and Tobias Harris added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers (45-35), who won their sixth in a row.
All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey sat out with hip tightness, two days after scoring a career-high 52 points in a 133-126 double-overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
Philadelphia still sits one game behind the Pacers for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The top six seeds earn guaranteed postseason spots, while the next four head to the play-in tournament.
Indiana earned a 140-123 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
Jaden Ivey led the struggling Pistons (13-66) with 25 points, Evan Fournier scored 21 and Jalen Duren added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Malachi Flynn had 12 points and Marcus Sasser chipped in with 10.
Detroit has lost five straight.
Embiid hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 98-83 lead with 9:31 remaining. Hield soon capped a 12-0 run with a trey for a 106-83 advantage with 7:54 left.
Ivey’s sixth 3-pointer of the night cut the deficit to 106-88 with 6:11 to go.
The 76ers then cruised to the finish.
Despite some gritty defensive play from the Pistons, the Sixers led 64-52 at halftime. Embiid was stellar with 20 points before the break.
Embiid dropped in a 3-pointer from the wing as Philadelphia went ahead 57-46 with 3:29 left in the second quarter. Duren scored on the Pistons’ next possession to quickly pull his team within nine.
Fournier kept the Pistons close by hitting 5 of 6 shots in the half, posting 15 points. Ivey recorded 17 points.
The Pistons came out of the locker room aggressive and cut their deficit to 71-70 with 7:06 left in the third quarter following a 3-pointer from Sasser.
Embiid then hit two baskets, and Philadelphia extended its advantage to 75-70.
The Sixers used a late surge to take a 90-78 edge into the fourth. Oubre converted a difficult floater with 2.2 seconds remaining in the third.
–Field Level Media
