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Pistons get first win of season with rout of Sixers

Nov 15, 2012 - 5:22 AM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Greg Monroe had 19 points and 18 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons ended their season-opening eight-game losing streak in convincing fashion, rolling to a 94-76 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Pistons used a combination of balanced scoring, suffocating defense and dominance on the glass to record their long-awaited first win of the 2012-13 campaign.

Kyle Singler scored a career-high 16 points in his first NBA start and Tayshaun Prince and Brandon Knight each chipped in 15 points for Detroit, which finished with a 57-38 rebounding advantage and netted 42 points in the paint.

"They really couldn't do much to stop us tonight," said Singler. "We felt good coming into halftime and I thought our guys set a good example all around of how we can play."

The 76ers, meanwhile, shot a woeful 29.8 percent from the floor and continued to struggle on their home court. Philadelphia fell to 1-3 at the Wells Fargo Center this season and is just 7-14 in its last 21 regular-season outings as the host.

"It's one of the few times since I've been as coach where this team played with a lack of effort," stated 76ers head coach Doug Collins. "Playing against a team that's desperate, 0-8, I told them this team is a lot better than their record. I thought we were in slow-motion."

Lavoy Allen scored 14 points for the Sixers, who were coming off a 105-96 home setback to Milwaukee on Monday, while Jrue Holiday totaled 12 points and seven assists.

Detroit started out slowly and trailed 13-8 after seven minutes of play, but closed out the first quarter with a 15-4 run to forge ahead and manhandled the cold-shooting Sixers in the second to build a commanding 52-34 lead at halftime.

Philadelphia closed within 31-26 on a short Allen jumper with just under seven minutes left in the half, but Detroit answered with a 10-2 flurry shortly afterward to increase its margin to double digits. After Allen made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 41-30 with 3:20 remaining, the Pistons finished the period with an 11-4 spurt in which Singler dropped in six points to take an 18-point cushion into the break.

Starting in place of an ailing Rodney Stuckey, Singler had 13 points prior to intermission, one more than the rookie's career best of 12 set last Wednesday at Sacramento.

Philadelphia's shooting problems didn't subside in the second half, though it did manage to get as close as 11 points down when Dorell Wright drained a basket from beyond the arc to pull within 57-46 midway through the third quarter.

The Sixers were down 67-54 late in the third when Detroit began to pull away by scoring nine of the next 10 points. The lead eventually would grow to as many as 23 when Knight sank a 3-pointer to make the score 86-63 with 5:04 left to play.

Game Notes

Detroit also halted an eight-game road losing streak dating back to last season, with the team's last win as the visitor a 109-85 decision at Charlotte on Apr. 12 ... Stuckey missed the game because of flu-like symptoms ... Corey Maggette made his season debut for Detroit and netted nine points in nearly 22 minutes before fouling out late in the game. The veteran had been sidelined by a strained calf ... Kwame Brown (calf) returned to Philadelphia's lineup after missing four straight games and had three points in 12 minutes ... The Sixers fell despite committing just four turnovers and forcing the Pistons into 18 giveaways.