Finals bound? LeBron pumps brakes despite 76ers' blistering start — SkimNews
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- 76ers defeated the Detroit Pistons 112-106 on Wednesday night, improving to 8-1 and avenging their only loss of the season.
- Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 30 points and made the game-saving block on Cade Cunningham, while Joel Embiid added 26 points and 15 rebounds.
- 76ers opened 4-0 on the road for the first time since 2000-01, their last NBA Finals appearance; each of their four previous 4-0-or-better road starts in the past 50 seasons produced a Finals trip.
- LeBron James said on Nov. 4 that it was too early to discuss the Finals, citing team chemistry and continued buy-in; the previous five times he started a season at least 7-1, his team reached the NBA Finals, and he finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
- Nick Nurse echoed James's view that it was too early for long-term conclusions, setting the immediate goal of extending good stretches of play and minimizing bad ones.
- Tyrese Maxey injured his right pinkie while splitting a double team in the final seconds, leaving it swollen, but said he would be fine.
- Adem Bona exited the fourth quarter with what Nick Nurse called a neck injury; Nurse said Bona appeared okay but that an official update was due Thursday.
Why it matters: The 76ers' only loss is already avenged, and their 8-1 record now sits alongside five prior James-led 7-1 starts and four prior 4-0 road starts that all reached the Finals. That history gives the team a concrete case for contention, while James and Nurse keep the immediate standard on extending good stretches and limiting bad ones.
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