AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- In terms of unforeseen pleasant surprises, Philadelphia 76ers second-year guard T.J. McConnell might have offered the biggest eye-opening performance of the young NBA season on Sunday.

Earning his first start of the season in place of an ill Sergio Rodriguez, McConnell turned in a game that will make it more difficult to get him out of the starting lineup, finishing one assist shy of a triple-double to lead Philadelphia to a convincing 97-79 win over the Detroit Pistons.

McConnell had 12 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in over 37 minutes of action for the 76ers, who won back-to-back games for only the second time this season following a win at New Orleans on Thursday.

McConnell, who said he found out he was starting just before pregame warm-ups, entered the game averaging 3.3 points, 4.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 18.3 minutes played in the first 23 games of the season.

"I think it gives you more confidence knowing that you are going to play more minutes," McConnell said. "We want Sergio here and I just tried to step in and hold down the fort. I just knew I had to go out and play like I have been since I got here."

McConnell nearly had the one assist he needed for the triple-double, but a layup by Robert Covington as he was fouled rimmed out in the final two minutes.

Still, McConnell couldn't have exceeded expectations any more than he did.

"How tough was he?" Philadelphia head coach Brett Brown said. "We truly talk about it a lot, that edge and Philly heart. Although he is from Pittsburgh, he is also Pennsylvania and he really brought that edge tonight."

McConnell was one of five Philadelphia players who scored in double figures.

Covington had 16 points and seven rebounds, Ersan Ilyasova added 15 points and eight rebounds, Jahlil Okafor had 13 points and nine rebounds and Nik Stauskas scored 10 points for the 76ers (6-18).

The 76ers jumped out all over the Pistons to start the game, grabbing an 18-4 lead with 6:17 left in the first quarter and taking a 44-21 lead with 6:26 remaining in the second quarter.

Philadelphia built its lead in the first half to as many as 25 points at 56-31 with 1:46 left and took a 58-35 lead into halftime.

The 76ers did very little wrong in the first half, shooting 61.5 percent from the field (24 of 39) and collecting 19 assists.

Philadelphia maintained a lead of 20 points or more for most of the third quarter, but Detroit did mount a rally in the fourth quarter.

The Pistons cut the lead to eight points at 87-79 with 4:25 remaining on a 3-pointer by Marcus Morris, which capped off an 11-0 run.

It was the first time the Pistons were within single digits since it was 13-4 with 6:58 left in the first quarter.

But Philadelphia responded by ending the game with a 10-0 run.

The 76ers shot 55.9 percent from the field (38 of 68) and outrebounded the Pistons, 42-34.

"I felt all over the place, people contributed and ultimately it was a team effort and a Philly-hard effort," Brown said.

Morris finished with a game-high 28 points and Andre Drummond had 14 points and 14 rebounds in defeat for the Pistons (13-13), who knew going into the game they would have to create energy themselves in their own building.

With the Lions and Red Wings also playing home games on Sunday and the first significant snowstorm of the season hitting the metro Detroit area, there were more empty seats than usual at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

"We just weren't ready to play tonight and that is on me," Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "You put a team out there with that level of readiness, that is coaching malfeasance."

Lethargic from the start, Detroit shot just 39 percent from the field overall (32 of 82) and 26.3 percent from 3-point range (5 of 19), had only 15 assists and allowed countless easy baskets on defense.

"It was just shooting layups," Van Gundy said of Philadelphia's first-half outburst. "They were playing way too fast for us and they were ready to play. We weren't in the least bit ready."

NOTES: Philadelphia welcomed back one of its centers to the lineup while seeing another sit out. Nerlens Noel returned to action after missing the first 23 games of the season with groin and left knee injuries. However, the 76ers played without center Joel Embiid, who missed the game with minor inflammation in his right elbow. ... The Pistons were without starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who missed the game with a knee contusion suffered during Friday's win at Minnesota. He is expected to miss only one game. ... This was the first game for the Pistons since the team sent second-year forward Stanley Johnson and rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinjie to their D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids on Saturday. All three players were recalled for Sunday's game. ... Following a three-game road trip, the 76ers will prepare for a four-game homestand over a span of seven days, starting on Wednesday against Toronto. ... Detroit will hit the road for its next two games with contests at Dallas on Wednesday and at Washington on Friday before hosting Indiana on Saturday.