The Phoenix Suns (28-19) hosted the Detroit Pistons (34-11) Thursday night at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Pistons were coming in hot, winning eight out of their last ten games, which included a 108-105 victory over the Suns in Detroit.
“I thought we could play better,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We had a bunch of guys coming back from being injured, turned the ball over quite a bit too. The way they play, as aggressive as they are, forcing turnovers and steals we got to do a better job taking care of the ball.”
As for Phoenix, they were coming off a win over the Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns sat seventh in the Western Conference but were only one game behind fourth place.
As for Detroit, they were first in the Eastern Conference and comfortably, as they had a six-game cushion ahead of second.
“It’s obvious to us,” Bickerstaff said. “We like to dominate the paint but when you’re winning quarter by quarter, those possessions are different. To us it’s about the possession game and we’re trying to figure out how to win the possession game.”
With half the season done and dusted, games began to mean more.
The Suns were without star player Devin Booker (ankle) and Jalen Green (hamstring).
Despite that, Green was inching closer towards his return, especially after he was shooting and practicing on the floor prior to the game.
“Jalen (Green) is the same thing,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said. “Obviously got work today, everything’s in a good place, keeps trending in the right direction. Hope to see him out soon, it’s still a day-to-day type of thing. Me personally, I’d love to see him out there.”
As for Booker, the timeline is a bit unclear, but Ott did talk about what stage Booker is at with his injury.
“Got to get the swelling out,” Suns head coach Jordan Ott said. “Got to get the function back to load all the weight and progress on the court.”
Booker leads the team in points and assists, with an average of 25.4 points per game and 6.2 assists per game.
Collin Gillespie (hand) was on Game-Time Decision for the second game in a row.
“See how he feels,” Ott told reporters before the game. “He has to go out and warm up, but he’s been in a good place, and we’ll see exactly what that pain feels like. Obviously, he wants to play.”
If Gillespie was to be ruled out, it could change a lot of things for Phoenix with their lack of depth at the guard position once again.
As for the Pistons, they were without Caris LeVert (illness).
For the Suns, Dillon Brooks was averaging 20.5 PPG, while Mark Williams led the way in rebounds with 8.2 rebounds per game.
Williams was coming off a season-high 27 points in Phoenix’s win over Brooklyn.
As for the Pistons, they had firepower, as Jalen Duren was averaging a double-double, with 17.7 PPG and 10.6 RPG.
“Duren’s development has helped change this squad,” Ott said. “Specifically, this year, just way comfortable in the perimeter, they can throw it to him in late clock situations. Duren has taken a step.”
Even then, most of the offense ran through point guard Cade Cunnigham, who was averaging 25.3 PPG and 9.8 APG.
“He’s big,” Ott said regarding Cunnigham. “That’s a different challenge. He plays a lot of pick-and-roll, but also, he hurt us in the post in Detroit. We’re going to have to change up who’s on him. We’re going to put some size on him, you just got to change up the look, but we are going to have to adjust.”
Detroit and Phoenix had similar levels of physicality, as both loved crashing the glass and not letting teams breathe when defending.
“They’re physical and good defensively,” Ott said. “Across the board. Good thing, we saw them a couple of weeks ago, so we know what it is. It’s a similar style of how we want to play. It’s a great test.”
Despite Phoenix’s potential thin bench, with crucial players out, they were going to need to step up in those crucial second unit minutes for a chance to win.
“If we can play early, great,” Ott said. “If we can’t play early, we’re still going to have to find a way to get a paint touch. We’re going to have to get on the glass, we’re going to have to be find ways to beat them with the possession game which they’re really good at.”
Before the game, Gillespie was deemed good to go, giving Phoenix more depth at the guard position.
Regardless, Detroit was still going to be a tough matchup regardless of the lineup, but Phoenix was looking for that fight.
The first four minutes of the first quarter were all offense, as both teams went 6-for-8, but Phoenix started off on the right foot, going 4-for-4 from three.
“Our intent offensively was great,” Ott said. “Their defense is elite, they’re great at protecting the rim, protecting the paint and we got there early, and then we made the right plays.”
Entering the second quarter, the Suns held a 35-31 lead.
For the Pistons, Duren started off hot, with 12 points and five rebounds.
Cunnigham followed with eight points and four assists.
As for the Suns, Grayson Allen had gotten off to a hot start with 12 points, while Brooks trailed behind him with nine points.
“He was there early,” Ott said regarding Brooks. “That’s what big time players do, they rise in big-time games. This was a big-time game against a team that’s played as well as anyone this year. His intent from the get-go was high level.”
On the glass, Oso Ighodaro led the way with five rebounds.
The Suns began the second quarter on fire, going on an 11-2 run that gave them a 13-point lead.
“Our defense is a big catalyst for our offense,” Brooks said. “When we play like that, it works in our favor. We got great bigs that protect the paint. I feel like we did a good job tonight and a good job defensively.”
Entering the half, the Suns had gotten a commanding 72-56 lead.
“They set the tone,” Ott said. “We can have a vision, we can have an idea, you can have a concept. But to put it in action? It comes back to the players. That tone was set early.”
Brooks had a notable second quarter, as he had 24 points entering the half, with Allen following behind with 16 points.
“I have games like this,” Brooks said. “Adding one or two things when they bring the double, finding my open man, forcing an issue where I can get to the line or get my shot off.”
Duren had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Cunnigham had 15 points.
The Suns had 16 bench points while the Pistons had 10, but Detroit’s second unit were 2-for-12, while Phoenix’s second unit were 6-for-11.
The Pistons came out firing in the third quarter, as they went on an 18-5 run to cut the lead to three.
Despite the run, the Suns had a 93-81 lead entering the fourth quarter.
“That’s what we needed,” Ott said. “I really thought the middle of the third into the fourth where they really struggled to score. That was kind of our response to how they came out of the locker room, and that’s what we needed. Our response was super critical.”
Cunningham had 24 points and seven assists, while Duren had his double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Allen was having a solid game with 19 points, but Brooks was bringing the heat, with 38 points and seven rebounds.
“Letting it fly,” Brooks said. “I just got to keep replicating it every game. Just focusing on my play.”
Phoenix was looking to close out the game and avoid another run like they endured in the third quarter.
With six minutes left, the Suns looked to wrap the game up, as they held a 16-point lead.
Phoenix didn’t hold back, as they won 114-96.
Cunningham led the way in scoring for Detroit, with 26 points, while Duren finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
“He uses his body,” Brooks said regarding Cunnigham. “He’s fast, he gets downhill, that’s what he wants to do. Just continuously having a body on him.”
As for Phoenix, Allen finished well with 24 points, but Brooks was the star, finishing with a career-high 40 points, alongside eight rebounds.
“There’s games where I could’ve gotten 40 (points),” Brooks said. “Miss a couple shots here, miss a couple shots there- every night I can go get 30 or 40 if I want to, just get into my spots. Just me working on my craft at night.”
The Suns jump to 29-19 while the Pistons fall to 34-12.
The Suns will host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Mortgage Matchup Center on Friday.
