The Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons are expected to be contenders in the Eastern Conference this season.
The two teams have lived up to expectations so far, creating an intriguing early-season matchup between unbeaten foes Sunday in Philadelphia.
The 76ers are 3-0 with their new star-studded lineup, which debuted with a road win over the defending champion New York Knicks and followed that up with a 29-point comeback victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Most recently, Philadelphia topped the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 on Saturday behind Joel Embiid’s 10th career triple-double. The former MVP registered 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Jaylen Brown added 27 points and Tyrese Maxey chipped in with 26.
“We can’t be satisfied being 3-0,” Brown said. “We can’t be satisfied with where we’re at right now. We’re building for something, so we’ve got to get better.”
One area in which the Sixers can improve is getting off to better starts. They scuffled through the first quarter against the Knicks and then trailed the Cavaliers by 24 points at halftime. Even against the winless Bucks, Philadelphia held a one-point lead in the waning seconds of the first half before Maxey banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer.
“As we’re going here, it’s still really early for us. … We’re trying to learn things that we’re going to polish quick,” coach Nick Nurse said.
LeBron James (back/sciatica) sat out Saturday’s victory, while Embiid is expected to rest Sunday. That could mean a bigger offensive role for VJ Edgecombe, who scored a season-high 17 points Saturday, and sixth man Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who made four 3-pointers against Milwaukee.
“I’m just excited and having fun right now, man,” Caldwell-Pope said. “This is a good group. We’re still putting it together, but it’s looking good.”
Things are looking good for the Pistons, as well. After finishing with the best record in the East last season, Detroit is 2-0 in the early going with quality wins over the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
In Friday’s 128-111 win in Miami, John Collins scored 23 points to pace six double-digit scorers. Paul Reed added 19 points and 11 rebounds in a reserve role, while Duncan Robinson knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.
“That’s where we can create trouble, right?” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of the Pistons’ depth. “We have so many people that can be used as weapons that we can just take what the defense gives us. We don’t have to try to overmanipulate things.”
Detroit’s depth proved critical because Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren were held to four points apiece before leaving with injuries. Thompson (ankle) is questionable to face Philadelphia, while Duren (hamstring) will miss Sunday’s contest.
Despite losing two of their top defensive players, the Pistons held the Heat to 38.2% shooting from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range. Still, Bickerstaff was far from satisfied.
“We know we’re still finding our way defensively,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve been our best that way yet.”
The Pistons won all four matchups with the Sixers in 2025-26, recording 22- and 23-point victories in the final two meetings.
