76ers star Joel Embiid gets technical foul for shoving match with Tolu Smith in win over Pistons

There were some fireworks with Joel Embiid in the first half at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday night.

Embiid, who received a technical foul early after a shoving match under the rim, still managed to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 112-106 win over the Detroit Pistons. He finished with a double-double with 26 points and 15 rebounds, and powered Philadelphia to an 8-1 record on the year.

But things got heated late in the first half after Jaylen Brown was fouled while shooting under the basket. All of the sudden, as Brown was headed to the free throw line, Embiid got into a shoving match with Detroit's Tolu Smith.

Embiid was jockeying for position with Smith as Brown was working his way to the rim. After the whistle, it looked like Embiid's elbow hit Smith in the chest. Smith then swatted the ball away from Embiid. This led to a shoving match between the two, and in the kerfuffle, Embiid ended up pushing a ref away.

When the dust settled, the refs whistled only Embiid for a technical foul. The Detroit crowd rained down expletives with his last name, and the Philly center stood and egged them on, asking for more.

Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham hit the ensuing free throw from the technical, and Philadelphia went into halftime leading 56-42.

Though the 76ers led by as many as 13 in the final minutes, the Pistons surged late to make it a game. They cut it to just four points after Cunningham hit a layup with 65 seconds left in the contest, but that was as close as they got. Philadelphia held on down the stretch to secure the six-point win.

Embiid shot 8-of-18 from the field and made all 10 of his free throws in the win. The technical was his first of the season. Brown led the way with 30 points and seven assists, and LeBron James finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Duncan Robinson led the Pistons with 27 points after he went 7-of-11 from the 3-point line. Cunningham had 26 points and 11 assists, and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and 17 rebounds. The Pistons handed the 76ers their lone loss of the season back on Oct. 25. Detroit now sits at 6-2 on the season.

The 76ers and the Pistons will end their three-game season series on February 5.

Embiid has now played in six of the team's games so far this season as the franchise continues to manage his workload to keep him healthy. While things got a bit heated on Wednesday night, Embiid still managed to lift the 76ers to the win without further incident.