Sixers-Pistons observations, 'best' and 'worst' awards: Robert Covington, Avery Bradley and JJ Redick's dimes

Allen Iverson is still and always will be one of Philadelphia's beloved Sixers. The Hall of Famer was introduced before the game. The sellout crowd of 20,562 gave him an ovation that was reminiscent of the ones he received while dominating defenders during his playing days here.

Ben Simmons was a shell of himself. The Sixers point guard lacked his usual explosiveness and aggressiveness one night after being named the Eastern Conference's rookie of the month. He finished with just five points on 2-for-6 shooting. He did, however, manage to have 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks to go with four turnovers.

Nik Stauskas looks like someone scared to shoot. The reserve shooting guard missed his lone shot attempt in 8 minutes, 50 seconds of action. This came after he didn't attempt a shot in 9:43 on Thursday against the Boston Celtics. The Sixers didn't extend his rookie deal before the October deadline. Someone needs to remind him that shooting the ball is the best way for him to stay in the league.

Robert Covington's shooting woes are over. The Sixers small forward snapped out of his shooting by making 6 of 13 three-pointers in route to finishing with 25 points. He only made 2 of 6 shots inside the three-point line. However, this is a great start for the man that shot 31.8 percent overall and 23.2 percent on three-pointers in his previous six games.

Sixers coach Brett Brown had to be pleased with his squad's effort from the foul line. The Sixers shot 87.5 percent (28 of 32) one game after making just 61.1 percent (11 of 18).

Best performance: This goes to Covington on a night when all of the attention went to the center showdown between Joel Embiid and the Pistons' Andre Drummond. Covington tied Embiid for team-high points. He also had a team-high two steals and tied Simmons for the team high in blocked shots (two).

Worst performance:  This goes to Pistons shooting guard Avery Bradley for finishing with six points on 3-for-11 shooting. He missed all four of his three-point attempts and had more fouls (five) than rebounds (two) and assists (two) combined.

Best defensive performance: Drummond gets this award. He finished with a game-high five steals to go with one block.

Worst statistic: This goes to the Sixers finishing with just five fast-break points. That's not good for a squad that likes to get out and run and score in transition.

Best statistic: This goes to JJ Redick's season- and game-high seven assists. The Sixers shooting guard keeps proving that he's much more than an elite three-point shooter.

Worst of the worst: The foul shooting disparity in the third quarter. The Pistons made 11 of 13 free throws in the quarter. Meanwhile, the Sixers didn't attempt a single foul shot.