Detroit Pistons Drop Another Game to Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia Seventy Sixers don’t seem to realize that they are the 7^th seed in this playoff series and should be getting rolled over by the number two Pistons. The Sixers convincingly took game three of the series blowing out Detroit 95-85 to take the lead once again in their first round matchup with Detroit. 

This one looked like a mirror image of game two, only the Sixers were the ones who took care of business easily. The Sixers forced Detroit into a season high 25 turnovers and made the best of almost every one of them. Philly’s defense not only forced Detroit into turnovers, but altered Detroit’s shots. Detroit’s offence halted to a screeching stop after the half when they shot just 22% in the third quarter while the Sixers pulled away .

Detroit once again limited Andre Iguodala, but that was irrelevant because Dalembert and Andre Miller carried the load for the Sixers. Dalembert put up a double-double and led the Sixers with 22 points and a whopping 16 boards. Miller, who got the best of his matchup with Chauncey Billups finished with 21.

Philly outplayed Detroit in every aspect of Game Three. Not only did the Sixers come to play, but so did the crowd at The Wachovia Center. With the way the Sixers played on Friday night and the way the crowd supported their team, Detroit’s got a tough task to try to even things up on Sunday. Philly has proven they can play, now Detroit as something totally different to prove. 

Notables:

- At one point in the third quarter Detroit missed 17 straight shots.

- Antonio McDyess suffered a broken nose after being hit by Iguodala while chasing down a rebound before the half and didn’t return. His availability for game 4 has not been decided.

- Minutes after Antonio McDyess’s blood painted the floor, Thaddeus Young left the game with a bloody nose.

- Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton carried the Pistons. Rip led Detroit with 23 and Tayshaun put up 18.

- Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess each scored just 2 points.

- Four Sixers in double figures.

- Chauncey Billups was just 2-for- 11, while Rasheed Wallace went 1-for-6.

- The Sixers’ largest lead was 23 points.

- The three’s didn’t work for either team. Detroit shot 20% from downtown and Philadelphia just 12.

[top image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjo59/]