76ers 104, Pistons 97
PHILADELPHIA - Jrue Holiday scored 12 of his 25 points in the final eight minutes Monday night, as the Philadelphia 76ers held off the Detroit Pistons 104-97.
Thaddeus Young added 20 points and Evan Turner had 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for Philadelphia (12-9), which snapped a two-game losing streak and avenged a 94-76 home loss to the Pistons on Nov. 14. Spencer Hawes finished with 15 points and eight boards.
Greg Monroe had 22 points for Detroit (7-16), which has dropped three of its last four. Brandon Knight also added 22 and Rodney Stuckey 19.
A jumper by Jason Richardson with 5:04 left snapped a 91-91 tie and triggered a game-ending 13-6 flurry by the Sixers. Holiday had six of his points in that run, including jumpers with 1:53 and 39.6 seconds left that extended three-point leads to five both times. He tacked on two free throws with 7.3 seconds left.
Trailing 80-78 earlier in the period, the Sixers went on an 11-4 run that included two baskets by Holiday and two others by Turner. That left them with an 89-84 lead, but Detroit rallied, eventually tying it at 91-91 on a 3-pointer by Charlie Villanueva with 5:25 to play.
Tayshaun Prince scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half, which ended with Detroit holding a 49-46 lead. Monroe and Stuckey added 11 apiece, while Thaddeus Young topped the Sixers with 10.
The Sixers then scored the first 14 points of the third quarter, five of those by Holiday, to go up 60-49. But Detroit rallied behind Monroe, who scored seven points in 50 seconds at one point, and had nine in the period.
The Pistons finally overtook the Sixers when Stuckey sank a pair of free throws with 23.7 seconds left in the period, giving Detroit a 75-74 lead. But a jumper by Hawes with 0.9 of a second remaining put Philadelphia back in front.
NOTES: Sixers center Andrew Bynum, who has yet to play this season because of bone bruises to both knees, said before the game he will be examined by doctors Dec. 20. He added that while it is "obviously a possibility" that he won't return before the end of the season, he doesn't believe that will be the case. "I really think I'll be fine," he said. His right knee, injured in September, feels "really, really good," he said. But he continues to be bothered by pain in his left knee, which he injured while bowling last month. He said the "worst-case scenario" after the examination is that it will be another month before he is able to resume basketball activities. "Best-case scenario," he said, "I can ramp it up." ... Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said the Sixers have been "tremendous" without Bynum, and that his return will vault them "to another stratosphere." ... Sixers guard Nick Young returned, after missing the previous four games with a toe injury.