Sixers throttle Pistons to end 6-game losing streak

The question went from "What if the 76ers beat the Detroit Pistons?" to "What if the Sixers beat the Pistons by 20?"

That possibility turned into a reality.

Name a Sixer and there's a pretty good chance that he gave the Pistons fits Wednesday night. They dominated the visiting team and achieved that 20-point cushion on Michael Carter-Williams' pair of foul shots with 38.6 seconds left.

After regaining possession following a Pistons turnover, the Sixers ran time off the clock en route to an 89-69 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers (9-37) snapped a six-game losing streak and posted their largest margin of victory since beating the Pistons by 25 points on March 25, 2014. They also handed Detroit (17-30) its worst loss since a 22-point setback to the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 15.

Carter-Williams finished with 14 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds in his return to the lineup after missing Monday's road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans with an upper respiratory infection.

"Michael was a point guard tonight," Sixers coach Brett Brown said of Carter-Williams, who had been criticized in the media over his shot selection.

Brown raved over the second-year player's presence on the court. He also spoke highly of the 6-foot-6, 195-pounder's ability to take advantage of being 6 inches taller than Pistons point guard D.J. Augustin.

"I didn't have to look for [Brown] to call plays," Carter-Williams said. "I knew what was working and what wasn't."

Swingman Robert Covington made 4 of 5 three-pointers to lead the Sixers with 19 points while JaKarr Sampson (13), Luc Mbah a Moute (12), and reserves K.J. McDaniels (10) and Henry Sims (10) were the other double-digit scorers.

Greg Monroe led the Pistons with game highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds.

The Pistons came in losers of three of four since they routed the Sixers in Detroit on Jan. 17. They also were without standout point guard Brandon Jennings, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon in the loss to Milwaukee.

Detroit struggled from the field, shooting 30.7 percent - connecting on just 2 of 20 three-pointers.

"We weren't ready to play," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I don't think I've ever coached a game where one team's effort was that much better than my team's effort. I mean, it was a joke."

The Sixers went on an 18-0 run to take a commanding 24-4 lead after McDaniels' driving dunk with 5:39 left in the first quarter.

Detroit pulled within nine points four times after intermission. But that was as close as the Pistons got.

"It was embarrassing and humiliating," Van Gundy said, "and I told them in there, I'm embarrassed as a coach that I did that poor of a job. And if they're not embarrassed they don't belong in the NBA."

@PompeyOnSixers

www.philly.com/deepsixer