Simmons’ triple-double leads 76ers past Pistons
Ben Simmons had a tripledouble in his fourth NBA game, Joel Embiid scored 30 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons 97-86 on Monday night for their first win of the season.
DETROIT » Ben Simmons had a triple-double in his fourth NBA game, Joel Embiid scored 30 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons 97-86 on Monday night for their first win of the season.
Simmons had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, showing off the skill and versatility that made him the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft before he missed all of last season with a foot injury. He finished two assists shy of a triple-double in his previous game at Toronto.
Detroit, which rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat the New York Knicks on Saturday night, fell behind by 21 again in the second quarter against the 76ers. The Pistons chipped away and were within three in the fourth, but Philadelphia held on.
Andre Drummond had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Pistons.
Philadelphia never trailed. It was 56-43 at halftime and 75-67 after three quarters before the Pistons cut the deficit to three on a 3-pointer by Anthony Tolliver. The teams traded baskets for a bit before a three-point play by Robert Covington and 3-pointer by T.J. McConnell put the 76ers up by nine.
TIP-INS
76ers: Simmons had double-doubles in his first three games, but Philadelphia lost them all.
Pistons: Drummond moved into sixth place on Detroit’s career rebounding list, passing Walter Dukes. Drummond is now three shy of 5,000.
NEW FACILITY
The Pistons and Henry Ford Health System broke ground on a new complex a couple miles north of Little Caesars Arena that will house a training facility and corporate headquarters for the franchise. It’s scheduled to open in 2019.