Payback time for 76ers vs. Pistons

The Boston Celtics exacted a measure of revenge against the 76ers in the second of back-to-back games between the division rivals on Saturday, beating the Sixers soundly, 92-79.

Now it's the Sixers' turn.

After a Sunday off, the Sixers (11-9) host the Detroit Pistons (7-15) on Monday, when they will look to avenge their most embarrassing loss of the season.

When the teams met Nov. 14 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Pistons snapped an eight-game losing streak - their longest ever to begin the season - by reducing the Sixers to an inept bunch of shooters.

The Pistons held the Sixers to just 29.8 percent shooting in their 94-76 victory. Along the way, Detroit grabbed a season-high 57 rebounds. The Sixers offered little defensive resistance as the Pistons, who have played .500 basketball since that ragged start, recorded a season-high 27 assists.

In their most recent outing, Brandon Knight scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Pistons to a 104-97 win over Cleveland on Saturday. The win was just the Pistons' second on the road this season.

The Sixers also continue to be uneven in their play, particularly at the offensive end. In going 1-3 in their last four games they have averaged just 87.5 points. In the preceding four games, the Sixers went 3-1 - their lone loss coming against Western Conference power Oklahoma City in overtime - and they averaged more than 104 points.

Against Boston, the Sixers scored a season-low 28 points in the first half, and they trailed the Celtics by 20 at halftime. They shot just 3 for 21 in the second quarter.

"I think all the shots that we took were all good shots," said Jrue Holiday, who finished with 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. "I know in the first quarter at least seven of them rattled in and out, where you thought they were good buckets. Times like that, what can you do? You try to go in, try to attack, and get a foul. You don't get that, so you just have to keep fighting."

Those misses allowed the Celtics to defeat the Sixers even though they didn't get a rebound from Kevin Garnett, who scored 19 points. The Celtics said this was the first time that Garnett had been held without a rebound since Jan. 21, 1997, when he played with Minnesota.

The lack of offense for the Sixers coincides with the absence of Nick Young. The team's top scorer off the bench at 9.6 points per game, Young has missed the last four games with a hyperextended left big toe. He is listed as day-to-day.