Detroit Pistons at Philadelphia 76ers
Sunday, October 25, 2026
7:30 PM ET, Xfinity Mobile Arena
The 76ers are 2.5-point favorites over the Pistons with a total of 227, and my play is Pistons +2.5 (-110).
Joel Embiid spent part of his postgame press conference Saturday night asking reporters to lobby the Sixers’ staff so he could play again Sunday. That tells you two things. He’s feeling great after a 28-point triple-double against Milwaukee. And the people who make the call probably aren’t going to let him.
Philly’s best night may have cost it this one
The Sixers are 3-0, and they’ve earned it. They won at Madison Square Garden, erased a 29-point deficit against Cleveland and held off the Bucks on Saturday. But look at who carried that last one. Embiid logged just over 36 minutes, well past the roughly 30-minute target the team set for him early in the season. Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, who spent his 30th birthday dropping 27, weren’t far behind.
That’s a lot of mileage for a team turning around in less than 24 hours. Embiid said earlier in the week that he’d only play one of the two weekend games, and he’s already played it. The good news for Philly is that LeBron James, who rested Saturday to manage his lower back, is expected back. The bad news is that the frontcourt behind Embiid is held together with tape. Ariel Hukporti hurt his Achilles in the preseason, Jabari Walker tweaked a knee Saturday, and Adem Bona just returned from a foot injury.
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Detroit’s second unit doesn’t care who’s hurt
The Pistons have their own injury problem. Jalen Duren is out with a right hamstring strain, and Ausar Thompson is questionable after rolling his right ankle Friday in Miami. Both went down in that game, and Detroit still won by 17. The bench poured in 64 points. Former Sixer Paul Reed came in for Duren and put up 19 points and 11 rebounds, and he’s the guy soaking up Duren’s minutes in his old building tonight.
This is what a 60-win team from last season looks like. Detroit finished with the third-best net rating in the league last year. Philadelphia was a break-even team at 45-37.
The Pistons are 2-0 for the first time since 2018-19, and they’ve done it two ways. They came back from 22 down to beat Boston, then led Miami wire-to-wire. Cade Cunningham hasn’t had to carry them yet. The shooting has been ridiculous, with John Collins, Duncan Robinson and company hitting 18 of 38 from deep on Friday.
Detroit also got a day off Saturday while Philly was busy grinding out a win. In a game priced this close, that rest edge matters a lot.
Why I could be wrong
Embiid is the swing piece. If the Sixers let him play, this line jumps and Detroit gets a lot less appealing. I’d still be holding a decent number, but I wouldn’t love it. Ball security is the other worry. Cunningham had seven turnovers in Miami, the Pistons gave it away 20 times, and Philly just turned 14 steals into a win over Milwaukee. A careless night against Maxey in the open floor gets ugly fast. Without Duren, Detroit also loses some rim protection and rebounding against a LeBron-led lineup.
I’ll still take a deep, rested Pistons team getting points against a home team that just ran its stars hard. I’d play it down to +1.5.
Projected score: Pistons 116, 76ers 112.
The Pick: Pistons +2.5 (-110)
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