Pistons vs. 76ers: Will Joel Embiid play tonight, injuries, trap games and how to watch

The Detroit Pistons played their best game of the season last night, eviscerating the Indiana Pacers to move to 3-0 in the NBA Cup. 

Outside of some sloppy play in the 4th quarter that allowed the Pacers to get within 12 points, the Pistons were practically perfect, with energetic defense, contributions from everywhere, unselfish play and lights-out shooting. 

The Pistons shot 57 percent overall and over 47 percent from 3-point range, a breakout game after their offense had been stagnant. 

They were clearly amped up for this one and hope to use the NBA Cup to build some real momentum for the rest of the season as the Pacers did last year. 

Detroit’s win sets up their biggest game in years, a Tuesday matchup with the Bucks that will decide the winner of East Group B. 

But they can’t get ahead of themselves, as the Pistons will be right back at it tonight in a classic trap game against a depleted Philly squad. 

Pistons injuries vs. 76ers: Will Joel Embiid play tonight? 

I picked the 76ers to be the surprise bad team in the NBA, but I wasn’t expecting a 3-14 start that has them with the second worst record in the entire league next to the hapless Wizards, who have lost 13 straight. 

Injuries are the culprit, and Philly won’t get much relief tonight, as superstar center Joel Embiid will once again be out with knee management. But it’s all Tobias Harris’ fault, right Philly? 

Kyle Lowry is also out, and Paul George and Caleb Martin are listed as questionable. 

The Pistons have just rookie Bobi Klintman on the injured list so far for tonight, so should be at full strength. 

But that doesn’t mean this is going to be an easy win, as the Pistons will be on the second game of a back-to-back and can’t take anyone for granted. Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain can light you up and Philly still believes they can get back into the playoff picture in the East, so they won’t be rolling over. 

With a huge game lurking on Tuesday at home against Milwaukee, it would be easy for the Pistons to overlook Philly, so they will need to keep the laser focus they had last night when nearly everyone was sharp. 

How to watch Pistons vs. 76ers 

The 7:00 PM ET tip-off at Little Caesar’ Arena will air on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit or you can listen on 97.1 FM The Ticket. 

You can check here for streaming options depending on the device/service you use. 

Pistons keys vs. 76ers 

If the Pistons play consistently like they did last night, they are going to win a lot of games, and that starts with sharing the ball and getting defensive effort from everyone. 

Jalen Duren had one of the best all-around games of his career last night, effectively protecting the rim, ripping down boards and not trying to do too much on offense. When he plays under control and gives effort around the rim, he’s a totally different player. 

It would be nice for him to bring that intensity again tonight with Joel Embiid out and the Pistons should try to keep him involved on both ends. 

Detroit is a much better offense when they move the ball like they did last night, as it kept them from plowing into the teeth of the defense and helped them take care of the ball up until they had some careless turnovers in the 4th. 

When Cade Cunningham gets his teammates involved early it opens up things for him later in the game, so that will be key again tonight. 

The Detroit Pistons are winning over fans in Detroit and I am sure LCA will be rocking on Tuesday, but first they have to take care of business against Philly tonight.