Nerlens Noel was a real rim-protector! See box score below.
By Sam Bush
It wasn’t exactly the irresistible object meeting the the immovable force but the Sixers will take a win any way they can get it.
On a night when something had to give, the Sixers held the Pistons without a field goal in overtime, beating Detroit 108-101 on Saturday for their second victory of the season. The Pistons lost their 11th straight game, this one in a matchup of the teams with the NBA’s two worst records.
The 76ers (2-18) have won two of three after starting the season 0-17.
“It is huge for these guys to be able to close out a tough game on the road like that,” coach Brett Brown said. “I’m proud of the way they hung together through that streak and now they are getting some rewards.”
Detroit led 100-97 late in the fourth quarter when Hollis Thompson – seemingly rushing a shot straight off an inbounds – sank a fadeaway 3-pointer from the right corner to tie it with 13.4 seconds remaining.
It took almost half the overtime for either team to score. Monroe missed a dunk early on. The Pistons took the lead when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made a free throw with 2:37 left for the first point of the extra session, but the 76ers scored eight in a row to finish the game.
Robert Covington scored 25 points for Philly and Michael Carter-Williams added 20. Josh Smith led Detroit with 23 points, and he also had eight rebounds and seven assists.
It was 104-101 after Nerlens Noel’s floater with 29.9 seconds remaining. Caldwell-Pope missed two 3-pointers at the other end before the 76ers were able to secure the ball and close out the game from the free throw line.
The teams were facing each other for the first time since March 29, when the 76ers snapped their record-tying, 26-game losing streak with a 123-98 rout of the Pistons in Philadelphia.
The Pistons and 76ers are in this position in large part because of their atrocious shooting. Detroit finished at 39 percent from the field Saturday, while Philly shot a more respectable 46 percent.
| SIXERS | |||||||||||||
| PLAYER | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OR | DR | REB | AST | PF | STL | TO | BLK | PTS |
| Michael Carter-Williams (G) | 44:40 | 8-12 | 0-0 | 4-5 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 20 |
| Luc Mbah a Moute (F) | 37:44 | 3-12 | 0-3 | 8-12 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Nerlens Noel (F) | 37:13 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Henry Sims (C) | 27:38 | 4-10 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Hollis Thompson (G) | 25:39 | 5-9 | 3-6 | 0-2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| JaKarr Sampson (F) | 8:59 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jerami Grant (F) | 8:35 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| K.J. McDaniels (G) | 32:46 | 3-10 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Robert Covington (F) | 29:10 | 9-14 | 3-5 | 4-4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Brandon Davies (F) | 12:36 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | 265 | 40-87 | 7-23 | 21-30 | 12 | 41 | 53 | 27 | 27 | 12 | 18 | 8 | 108 |
| Percentage | .460 | .304 | .700 | ||||||||||
| PISTONS | |||||||||||||
| PLAYER | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OR | DR | REB | AST | PF | STL | TO | BLK | PTS |
| Josh Smith (F) | 47:59 | 9-18 | 1-2 | 4-6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 23 |
| Kyle Singler (F) | 40:29 | 8-14 | 3-5 | 2-2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Brandon Jennings (G) | 34:47 | 2-10 | 0-2 | 4-4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G) | 29:40 | 2-10 | 0-3 | 5-7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Andre Drummond (C) | 20:36 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Greg Monroe (F) | 33:22 | 4-12 | 0-0 | 7-9 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 15 |
| Cartier Martin (F) | 23:20 | 4-7 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Jonas Jerebko (F) | 2:02 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel Anthony (C) | 2:01 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D.J. Augustin (G) | 18:13 | 1-7 | 0-4 | 4-5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Caron Butler (F) | 12:31 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Total | 265 | 34-87 | 6-23 | 27-35 | 12 | 35 | 47 | 22 | 24 | 11 | 19 | 6 | 101 |
| Percentage | .391 | .261 | .771 | ||||||||||
