Joel Embiid techs up in shoving match with Pistons' Tolu Smith

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid received a technical foul for a shoving match with Detroit Pistons forward Tolu Smith during Wednesday night's 112-106 win at Little Caesars Arena.

The altercation happened late in the first half.

76ers guard Jaylen Brown was fouled while shooting under the basket.

As Brown headed to the free-throw line, Embiid and Smith began jockeying for position.

Embiid's elbow appeared to hit Smith in the chest.

Smith then swatted the ball away from Embiid.

A shoving match followed.

In the scuffle, Embiid pushed a referee.

When the dust settled, only Embiid was whistled for a technical foul.

It was his first technical of the season.

The Detroit crowd responded by raining down expletives with his last name.

Embiid stood and egged them on, asking for more.

Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham hit the ensuing free throw from the technical.

Philadelphia went into halftime leading 56-42.

Despite the fireworks, Embiid finished with a double-double: 26 points and 15 rebounds.

He shot 8-of-18 from the field and made all 10 of his free throws.

Jaylen Brown led the 76ers with 30 points and seven assists.

LeBron James finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists — two shy of a triple-double.

Duncan Robinson led the Pistons with 27 points, going 7-of-11 from three-point range.

Cunningham had 26 points and 11 assists.

Ausar Thompson posted 11 points and 17 rebounds.

The Pistons had handed the 76ers their only loss of the season on Oct. 25.

Detroit now sits at 6-2 on the season.

The 76ers improved to 8-1.

Though Philadelphia led by as many as 13 in the final minutes, the Pistons surged late.

They cut the lead to four points after Cunningham hit a layup with 65 seconds left.

That was as close as they got.

Philadelphia held on for the six-point win.

The two teams will end their three-game season series on Feb. 5.

Embiid has played in six of the team's nine games so far this season.

The franchise continues to manage his workload to keep him healthy.

After the game, Embiid addressed another issue: his three-point shooting.

He is shooting 11.5% from beyond the arc this season.

He has made just 3 of 36 three-point attempts.

Against the Pistons, he went 0-for-3 from deep.

"My three is just gone for whatever reason," Embiid told reporters.

"Tonight might've been the last three I ever take."

Embiid has proven pedigree as a shooter in past seasons.

But through eight games, his long-range shot has abandoned him.

He averaged 19.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists over the season so far.

Against Detroit, he shot 8-for-15 on two-point field goal attempts — a strong night inside the arc.