December 01, 2024
Rick Osentoski/Imagn Images
KJ Martin may have had the best game of his Sixers tenure on Saturday night in Detroit.
A milestone was reached by the 2024-25 Sixers on Saturday night in Detroit. 38 days after their season opener, the Sixers notched their first complete, wire-to-wire win of the season, a 111-96 victory over the Pistons that was never in doubt. The Sixers opened the game on a 20-7 run and never looked back, expanding their lead to 20 in the second half and running an exhausted Pistons team off the floor.
The Sixers had several key contributors who helped them jump out to such a strong early lead and cross the finish line with no stress involved. In this week's Sunday stats, let's break down the numbers behind their impressive victory.
MORE: Sixers-Pistons recap
KJ Martin's total number of points -- more than he has totaled in any other game as a Sixer.
Martin had never scored more points in a game while donning a Sixers jersey than this, and he only missed one shot. Martin posted a 7-of-8 shooting line from the field, but also found plenty of other ways to impact the game. Martin grabbed six rebounds, with three of them coming on the offensive glass, and dished out a trio of assists. He was also everywhere at once defensively, racking up three blocks.
His highlight reel from Saturday's game was masterful:
KJ Martin had his best game as a Sixer on Saturday night:
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 1, 2024
19 points (7-8 FG)
6 rebounds
3 assists
3 blocks
Here are all of Martin's made shots, assists and blocks from the game: pic.twitter.com/UIBbRndYeU
Martin has not had an enormous number of opportunities to get extended run this season, but he has made the most of many of his chances. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has no choice but to consider expanding the fifth-year forward's role moving forward.
Last month, Martin spoke with PhillyVoice about utilizing his athletic gifts in games, his upbringing as the son of a former No. 1 overall pick, how he has changed during his first full season in Philadelphia and more:
MORE: KJ Martin one-on-one
Paul George's number of assists in the first quarter.
George made his return to the floor on Saturday after missing three games over a 10-day span due to his second left knee bone bruise in as many months. Aside from a few standout buckets, he was unable to find a real groove as a scorer -- a reoccurring issue for the nine-time All-Star through his nine games as a Sixer.
However, George has been very willing to use his reputation as an excellent three-level scorer to create scoring chances for his teammates. He collected five assists on Saturday, and four of them came during the team's torrid stretch in the first quarter:
Paul George leveraged his presence as a scoring threat to collect four assists in the first quarter on Saturday night against the Pistons. Here are all of those assists -- one to a rim-running Andre Drummond, a dump-off to Adem Bona and two leading to Kelly Oubre Jr. threes: pic.twitter.com/W9dAnww0dZ
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 1, 2024
After averaging 3.5 assists per game in 2023-24, George has averaged 4.8 assists per game as a Sixer despite his minutes being considerably below where they were in his final season with the Los Angeles Clippers. If he does find his typical form as a scorer and can sustain this sort of playmaking, the Sixers could find a new gear offensively (not that they have exactly set a high bar for themselves).
Tyrese Maxey's scoring total in the third quarter.
Maxey posted a rough 3-of-12 shooting line in the first half despite connecting on two of his four long-range tries. Too often this season, the reigning NBA Most Improved Player Award winner has fallen into deep slumps within games. But this time around, Maxey was a man on a mission following intermission. He obliterated Detroit's defense from all areas of the floor:
After a rough first half by his standards, Tyrese Maxey rips off 10 quick points to start Q3 🔥 pic.twitter.com/933E4Kdaqg
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 1, 2024
Nobody expected Maxey's difficult start to the season as a jump-shooter to prove to be a sign of things to come, but surely the Sixers still feel a sense of relief seeing the All-Star point guard look much more like the best version of himself in recent games. Maxey has clearly found a rhythm.
The Sixers' point differential in Adem Bona's 19 minutes off the bench.
When starting center Andre Drummond went down with a right ankle sprain, Nurse could have slid Guerschon Yabusele up to the five -- where the 28-year-old standout free agency acquisition has logged most of his minutes this season and been impressive.
Instead, as part of a concerted effort to create size advantages, Nurse called upon the rookie center Bona, who ended up receiving his second chance at rotation minutes. Bona's performance was not spectacular -- he predictably committed four fouls and only scored one basket -- but he looked extremely comfortable. He swatted three shots, never seemed out of place during possessions on either end of the floor and made good decisions like this:
Adem Bona makes a good read out of a short roll, Ricky Council IV makes a wise extra pass and KJ Martin knocks down a triple: pic.twitter.com/ee1nZQXseI
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 1, 2024
It is hard to imagine Drummond not missing some amount of time. Given the continued uncertainty surrounding Joel Embiid, one would certainly guess that Bona is in line for some more rotation chances in the near future. The Sixers hope Bona can be their backup center of the future, and he will likely have more chances to prove he is worth their investment.
Ricky Council IV's scoring total in the first half.
While the story of the second half might have been Martin, the story of the first half was clearly Council, who scored 13 of his season-high 17 points prior to halftime. Council's strongest skill during his rookie season was generating contact at the rim and drawing foul calls, something he has rarely done in 2024-25. But Council shot seven free throw attempts in this one, a strong sign that he is finding the best version of himself.
Council checked into the game for the first time in between two free throw attempts. When the second shot was missed, Council set the tone, grabbing an offensive rebound, scoring an and-one and reacting with plenty of excitement:
Ricky Council IV never takes a play off. pic.twitter.com/3Y6zMYVeyd
— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) December 1, 2024
This was the second contest in a row in which Council immediately left his mark on the game and expressed enthusiasm. Council had a strong two-way sequence to open what turned into the first double-double of his NBA career on Wednesday night.
Council said that prior to that night's overtime loss against the Houston Rockets, he sat on his couch and watched videos of his rookie season successes in an attempt to recapture the energy which endeared the hyper-athletic wing to Sixers fans.
"I just had to bring that hunger, that dog back," Council said. "I'm sitting on my couch watching games I played well in and games that I was in, just film I found on myself from last year -- watching and rewinding, watching and rewinding."
Council is quickly finding the magic which made him such an intriguing prospect last season. Can he move forward with a second-year leap next?
MORE: Film breakdown of Council's double-double
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