Instant Replay: Sixers 97, Pistons 79

Box score

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — T.J. McConnell made sure not to waste his moment in the spotlight Sunday night.

With Sergio Rodriguez unavailable, McConnell got a rare start at point guard and fell an assist shy of a triple-double to lead the Sixers to a 97-79 win over the Pistons.

McConnell posted 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to help Philadelphia capture back-to-back wins on the road for the first time since Dec. 21 and 23, 2014.

It was arguably the most impressive win this season for the Sixers, who jumped out to a 32-12 lead through the first quarter and never trailed in the game.

The 12 points marked the fewest points scored by the Pistons in a quarter this season.

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Coming off a come-from-behind win in New Orleans, which snapped a 23-game losing streak away from Philadelphia, the Sixers’ 20-point lead after the first quarter marked the first time in the Brett Brown-era that the Sixers held a margin of 20 points through one quarter of play. 

With center Joel Embiid unavailable, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor had the difficult task of silencing Pistons’ All-Star center Andre Drummond, the NBA’s reigning rebounding leader. Drummond put up 14 points and 14 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the season. He entered the game having posted back-to-back games of 20 points and 20 rebounds. 

The Pistons outscored the Sixers, 29-22, in the third quarter and cut their deficit to eight with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but never got within striking distance.

Noel’s return cut short
Sunday was supposed to be a special day for Noel, who made his season debut after missing the first 23 regular-season games after undergoing elective knee surgery in late October. But the former first round pick’s return was cut short after he suffered a left ankle sprain in the first half (see story). His status for Wednesday’s game against the Raptors remains unclear. 

Noel, who came off the bench and posted eight points, put his strength and athleticism on display before he appeared to tweak his ankle after taking a hard foul at the end of the first quarter. He remained on the ground for nearly a minute before returning to his feet and sinking both free throws to help the Sixers take a 20-point lead into the second quarter.

Inside the box score
• Sixers center Jahlil Okafor returned to action Sunday after missing the past three games due to flu-like symptoms. Okafor recorded 14 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

• With Rodriguez unavailable, McConnell got the start at point guard, and was on the floor for 37 minutes. Nik Stauskas, who was coming off back-to-back double-digit performances, saw an increase in playing time off the bench and put up 10 points.

• After putting up 23 points in each of his last two games, Sixers forward Ersan Illyasova dropped 15 points against his former team. Illyasova appeared in 52 games with the Pistons last season before being dealt at the trade deadline.

“Ersan is a great player and a guy you can always count on for great effort,” Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “And you can see that he’s playing extremely well right now for Philadelphia, and Brett is using him in good ways.”

Injury updates
• Rodriguez, who traveled with the team to Detroit, was unavailable because of gastroenteritis. His status for Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia is unclear. Rodriguez, who has started 23 games this season, is the second Sixers player this past week to to be sidelined with flu-like symptoms. Okafor missed three games last week due to a similar illness.

• As expected, Embiid did not travel with the team to Detroit due to minor elbow inflammation. Embiid remains on track to return Wednesday, Brown said Sunday.

• The Pistons were without starting point guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was ruled out with a right knee contusion. Caldwell-Pope suffered the knee bruise when he bumped knees in Friday’s win at Minnesota.

• Sixers guard Jerryd Bayless, who hasn’t appeared in a game since Nov. 16, missed the trip due to soreness in his left wrist. Bayless has been limited to three games this season.

Up next
The Sixers return to Philadelphia to open a four-game homestand Wednesday against Toronto. The Raptors blew out the Sixers, 122-95, in their lone meeting earlier this season.

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