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Sixers-Pistons observations: JJ Redick's offense, Robert Covington's defense

The Sixers shot 62.5 percent in the second quarter en route to defeating Detroit on Wednesday night.

Sixers guard JJ Redick brings the ball up court as Pistons forward Eric Moreland defends during the second half.
Sixers guard JJ Redick brings the ball up court as Pistons forward Eric Moreland defends during the second half.Read moreCarlos Osorio / AP
    by Keith Pompey | Columnist
    Published 

DETROIT — Here are my main takeaways and "best" and "worst" awards from the 76ers' 115-108  victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena.

Five observations

  1. Ersan Ilyasova is turning into a double-double machine. The Sixers power forward didn't shoot the ball particularly well, going 4 for 16, including 1 for 6 on threes. However, he had 13 points and 11 rebounds, marking his third double-double in four games.

  2. JJ Redick doesn't want to talk about it, but the Sixers shooting guard is playing arguably the best basketball of his career. He had 25 points against the Pistons, marking a career-best streak of six consecutive games with at least 19 points.

  3. Ben Simmons continues to impress. He had 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists. It was his 54th game with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.  That's the most by a rookie since the 1963-64 season.

  4. Richaun Holmes probably won't get a chunk of quality minutes in the playoffs, if any at all. But, boy, is he giving the Sixers coaching staff something to think about. The reserve center had 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals against Detroit.

  5. Robert Covington is playing arguably his best defense of the season. The Sixers small forward had three steals and blocked two shots against the Pistons. This came one night after he blocked three shots and had four steals against the Nets.

“Best” and “worst” awards

  1. Best performance: This goes to Redick. He made 10 of 13 shots, including 5 of 7 three-pointers. He also had six assists, one shy of the season high he set against the Pistons on Dec. 2. He scored 13 of his points on 5-for-6 shooting in the first quarter. The 33-year-old was 3 for 4 on three-pointers

  2. Worst performance: Reggie Jackson, the Pistons point guard, missed 10 of his 11 shots in scoring eight points.

  3. Best defensive performance: Covington wins this with ease after another dominating performance.

  4. Worst statistic: This goes to the Pistons' 13 first-half turnovers.

  5. Best statistic:  This goes to the Sixers' shooting 62.5 percent in the second quarter.