Philadelphia @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 4, 2017 ) Detroit 136, Philadelphia 106

The Philadelphia 76ers came into the 2017-18 campaign with something that has been missing from the team in recent seasons - expectations. The 76ers, who have yet to earn a win, will continue to try to meet their own expectations and those of their fans when they visit the Detroit Pistons on Monday.

Philadelphia made strides last season with Joel Embiid finally making his debut and intended to make more with No. 1 picks Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz joining the lineup this year, but the organization continued to ask for patience after a 128-94 loss at the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. "I think it’s just going back to doing what we’ve talked about," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "We’re not going to do anything differently in relation to what we value, and to how we practice and how we preach." The Detroit Pistons had their own expectations heading into the season and so far are meeting most of them with wins in two of the first three games. The addition of Avery Bradley in the starting guard spot not only adds a top-level perimeter defender to the mix but also gives the team another outside shooting threat to help open driving lanes for point guard Reggie Jackson.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Detroit, NBCS Philadelphia

ABOUT THE 76ERS (0-3): It hasn't ended up putting the team in the win column yet, but Simmons is living up to all the hype. The 6-10 point guard is the first player in franchise history and only the sixth in NBA history to begin his career with three straight double-doubles and flirted with a triple-double by collecting 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on Saturday. "When you’re coaching and feeling the game, you’re feeling that he has the ability to be incredibly special," Brown told reporters. "You feel immediately, the stuff he does on a floor is very unique - his size, his burst of speed, his ability to get to the rim and take hits. All of those things is wrapped up to me in athleticism."

ABOUT THE PISTONS (2-1): Jackson sat out the first 21 games last season while dealing with knee tendinosis and struggled to find his burst when he finally returned. The 27-year-old is back to his old self in 2017-18 and is averaging 16.7 points and 6.7 assists in 28.3 minutes while making all 12 of his free-throw attempts. "He was attacking the basket and then you put the ball in his hands and he makes all seven free throws, finished out the game really, really well," Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters of Jackson after a 111-107 win at New York on Saturday. "The thing for us is Reggie’s making so much greater effort at the defensive end of the floor. That’s the biggest change."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pistons SF Tobias Harris is leading the team in scoring with an average of 24.3 points on 55.8 percent shooting.

2. 76ers PG Jerryd Bayless is 9-of-16 from 3-point range.

3. Detroit took two of the three meetings last season, including a 136-106 thrashing in Philadelphia on March 4.

PREDICTION: Pistons 120, 76ers 109