Jaylen Brown scores 30 as the 76ers beat the Pistons 112-106 for first in the East

The 76ers won the fight for first place in the East on Wednesday night. Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 30 points, and Philadelphia beat the Pistons 112-106 at Little Caesars Arena to move to 8-1. Detroit fell to 6-2.

This was the rematch of the game that handed Philadelphia its only loss, a 106-93 home defeat on Oct. 25 that Joel Embiid missed. He played this time and had 26 points and 15 rebounds, making all 10 of his free throws.

How it was won

Philadelphia scored 56 points in the first half and led by as many as 17. Detroit came back late and cut the gap to six. With 37 seconds left, Cunningham pulled up from 3 with a chance to make it a one-possession game, and Brown blocked it.

Brown made 11 of 19 shots. LeBron James added 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and early in the second quarter he hit a left-handed runner that made him the first player in NBA history to make 16,000 field goals. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished his career with 15,837.

The 76ers won on a night Tyrese Maxey didn't carry them. Detroit's defense held him to a season-low 19 points on 5-of-16 shooting. He had scored at least 26 in every other game.

Top performers

1. Jaylen Brown, PHI: 30 points, 11 of 19 shooting, 7 rebounds and the game-saving block.
2. Joel Embiid, PHI: 26 points, 15 rebounds, 10 of 10 from the line.
3. Duncan Robinson, DET: 27 points on 7-of-11 shooting from 3.
4. Cade Cunningham, DET: 26 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds, but 1 of 9 from 3.
5. Ausar Thompson, DET: 17 rebounds in 34 minutes.

Embiid also picked up a technical late in the first half after a review showed he started a shoving match with Pistons center Tolu Smith.

What's next

The teams have now split two meetings. Philadelphia plays at Cleveland on Friday night. Detroit hosts the Lakers on Sunday, still leading the Central Division.