DETROIT _ The 76ers prevailed with their best player watching the entire game on the bench in warmups.
With Joel Embiid sidelined due to rest, the 76ers escaped with a 117-111 victory against the Detroit Pistons Friday night at the Little Caesars Arena.
Jimmy Butler picked up the slack, finishing with 38 points on 13 of 27 shooting from the field. He also made 11 of 12 foul shots to go with six rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block. This marked the four-time All-Star's second-straight game 38-point game. On this night, Butler scored 13 of the Sixers' 28 fourth-quarter points.
Ben Simmons added 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the season. JJ Redick and Mike Muscala also had 18 points apiece.
The four players all contributed in a late run to win this game.
Redick made a technical foul with to pull the Sixers within 100-98 with 6 minutes, 35 seconds remaining. Twelve seconds later, the shooting guard's 3-pointer gave his team a 101-100 lead. Then Butler scored a pull-up jumper before Simmons added a driving dunk. Muscala got into the act with a 3-pointer to put the Sixers up 108-100 with 4:07 left to cap a 13-0 run.
The Sixers improved to 18-9 with the victory. They will face the Pistons (13-10) again on Monday at Wells Fargo Center. Embiid is expected to return for that game.
The All-Star center missed the game for what the team said was rest. However, Embiid told Philly.com before the game he's not tired. He also expressed frustration with how he's been used since the blockbuster trade for Butler on Nov. 12. Embiid said that has had a lot to do with his recent struggles.
Amir Johnson started in place of him, finishing with three steals and two rebounds. He failed to score while missing his two shot attempts.
The Pistons were paced by Blake Griffin's 31 points and 12 rebounds. Andre Drummond added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
