AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Andre Drummond needed a reminder of why he has become one of the league's top centers. That helped him overcome his biggest weakness for a night.

Detroit's fourth-year center bounced back from two subpar performances with 25 points and 18 rebounds and the Pistons topped the Philadelphia 76ers 110-97 on Wednesday night at The Palace.

Drummond had 11 points and 14 rebounds in his previous two outings combined, and didn't even finish those games because of his poor free-throw shooting. He made just one of 14 attempts from the foul line at Denver and Utah, forcing coach Stan Van Gundy to keep him on the bench during crunch time.

By asserting himself in the paint, Drummond felt more confident with his uncontested 15-footers. The league's worst free throw shooter at 34.7 percent entering the game made seven of 12 attempts.

"I thought he played with much better energy tonight," Van Gundy said. "He was sort of back to himself, which was good. You want to go ahead and foul a guy who goes seven for 12, we're in good shape there."

Van Gundy met with Drummond on the plane ride back to Michigan and told him that the foul-shooting issues were affecting the rest of his game.

"I was out of it," said Drummond, who tossed in 17 second-half points and collected his league-high 38th double-double. "I put a lot of pressure on myself and it took me out of my game. When we came home, I took some time to really just think about not focusing so much on the (bad) but to just play hard, try to help my team win and the free throws will come."

Point guard Reggie Jackson supplied 27 points for the Pistons (25-21) while rookie small forward Stanley Johnson contributed 18 points. Detroit outscored Philadelphia 36-18 in the fourth quarter.

Second-year power forward Jerami Grant's career-high 21 points and eight rebounds led the Sixers (7-40), who had won three of their previous five games. Center Nerlens Noel had 20 points and seven rebounds while point guard Ish Smith added 13 points and six assists.

The Sixers played their second straight game without starting center Jahlil Okafor and shooting guard JaKarr Sampson, who remained in Philadelphia because of illnesses.

"I think we did a good job of gutting out most of the game," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "We played three games in four nights and we said it from the start, 'It's life in the NBA.' It's good for our young guys to figure all that out."

Noel had his second 20-point game of the season but had difficulty keeping Drummond away from the boards.

"I've been playing against him since I was 15 years old," Noel said. "I definitely look at it as a challenge every time I go against him. He's a high-caliber player that can do a lot of things on the court."

The teams' big men went at each other frequently in the third quarter. Drummond compiled 12 points and six rebounds while Noel scored eight points. Philadelphia used a 12-3 spurt -- featuring a four-point play by backup point guard Isaiah Canaan -- late in the quarter to take a seven-point lead.

Philadelphia was still up 79-74 as the fourth quarter began. When Grant threw down a thunderous dunk over Pistons reserve center Aron Baynes, the Sixers led 84-78. Johnson then sparked a 13-4 Detroit run, finished off by Jackson's 3-pointer off a Johnson pass, to give Detroit a 91-88 edge.

"They blitzed him, they trapped him with the five man and he made a great pass back to Reggie in the corner for a three," Van Gundy said of Johnson. "That's just a great play by a young guy, to have the presence the first time he gets trapped on the night to not panic, not cough it up and find the open man."

Drummond's tip-in with 3:26 remaining lifted the Pistons to a 95-90 advantage. Jackson's 3-pointer with 1:33 left iced Detroit's win.

NOTES: Detroit C Andre Drummond recorded his 445th career block, tying him with Tayshaun Prince for seventh place in franchise history. ... Philadelphia reserve F Elton Brand did not make the trip because of personal reasons. ... The Pistons won four of the last five meetings at The Palace. ... The Sixers have used 24 lineups this season, 22 more than the Pistons. ... Philadelphia G Ish Smith is averaging 8.2 assists in his first 15 games with the team since being reacquired from New Orleans. ... Detroit faces Eastern Conference leader Cleveland on Friday and the Sixers play host to Western Conference leader Golden State on Saturday.