PHOENIX SUNS

Suns trail by as many as 36, fall to Pistons in Detroit

Nov 29, 2017, 8:14 PM | Updated: Nov 30, 2017, 8:15 am

Phoenix Suns forward Marquese Chriss (0) takes a shot against Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johns...

Phoenix Suns forward Marquese Chriss (0) takes a shot against Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy was worried that his team might suffer a letdown after going to Boston and beating the first-place Celtics.

It didn’t take the Pistons long to end his worries.

The Pistons led by as many as 33 points in the first half and went on to win their third straight game, beating the Phoenix Suns 131-107.

Detroit beat the Celtics 118-108 on Monday night.

“I thought it was very impressive to come out and play the way we did tonight after a huge win on Monday,” Van Gundy said. “We were really on it from the start defensively, and we were moving the ball and playing with energy on offense.”

Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley each scored 20 points, and Andre Drummond had 13 points and matched a career best with seven assists in Detroit’s highest-scoring game of the season. The Pistons improved to 14-6 overall, 8-2 at home in their first season at Little Caesars Arena, and 7-1 against the Western Conference.

“It was easy to get fired up for our last two games, but we had to find a way to bring energy to ourselves tonight,” Jackson said. “We locked in and stayed with the game plan and our fans were amazing. We were more mature in our approach.”

Devin Booker led the Suns with 22 points, and rookie Josh Jackson had a career-high 20.

“I definitely feel like I’m progressing,” Josh Jackson said. “It’s a learning curve, and that takes times, but our team has nothing but time.”

Phoenix has lost four out of five and is 1-2 on a six-game trip.

The Suns were coming off a 104-99 victory in Chicago on Tuesday night, while Detroit had Tuesday off after the win in Boston.

“We weren’t as sharp as we needed to be against that team,” Phoenix coach Jay Triano said. “They had a day to prepare and we didn’t, and they went right past us and made every play they wanted to make.”

Harris scored 14 points and the Pistons had a season-best 36 points in the first quarter. Detroit shot 62.5 percent in the period to build a 17-point lead.

Phoenix continued to struggle in the second, falling behind by 32 points. Detroit led 69-41 at halftime, outshooting the Suns 63 percent to 44.7 percent. Harris had 16 points in the half, and Reggie Jackson added 15.

“We have a lot of guys who are making winning plays right now,” Pistons rookie Luke Kennard said. “Reggie is playing great basketball, and when he does that, we can be a really good team.”

The Pistons led by as many as 36 in the second half.

“We didn’t guard anyone in the second half, which you don’t like to see, but they really never cut into the lead until the last few minutes,” Van Gundy said. “We were still playing well offensively until the end.”

TIP-INS

Suns: One night after using 7-footers Tyson Chandler and Dragan Bender as his starting center and power forward in Chicago, Suns coach Jay Triano changed things against the Pistons. Marquese Chriss and former Piston Greg Monroe started, while Chandler didn’t enter the game until the fourth quarter.

Pistons: Drummond hit all three free-throw attempts against Phoenix, and is shooting 63 percent from the line this season. Drummond entered the season as the worst free-throw shooter in NBA history, having made 38.1 percent of his attempts over five seasons.

UP NEXT

Suns: At Boston on Saturday.

Pistons: At Washington on Friday night.

Phoenix Suns

Jusuf Nurkic...

Damon Allred

Jusuf Nurkic questionable for Suns’ matchup with Thunder; Bradley Beal no longer listed

The Phoenix Suns are listing center Jusuf Nurkic questionable for a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

16 hours ago

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets is guarded by Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns during th...

Kellan Olson

Suns respond to season’s low point with thorough win over Nuggets

The guessing game of which Suns team shows up on which night persists. The best current version did on Wednesday in a win over the Nuggets.

1 day ago

Bradley Beal #3 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the second half against the Boston Celtics at T...

David Veenstra

Bradley Beal in, Jusuf Nurkic out for Suns’ matchup with Nuggets

Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is active for Wednesday's matchup with the Denver Nuggets while center Jusuf Nurkic is out.

2 days ago

Tyler Kolek, Marquette...

Damon Allred

Here’s who Phoenix Suns fans should watch in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

The Suns' first round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft sits at No. 19 overall, and they could select a star from the NCAA Tournament.

2 days ago

Phoenix Suns take on San Antonio Spurs...

Arizona Sports

O’Neale: Phoenix Suns took Spurs ‘too lightly’ in glaring loss

The Phoenix Suns' lack of effort was on display Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs, leading to an honest film session.

2 days ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: Royce O’Neale: Suns took Spurs “a little too lightly”

Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale joined Burns & Gambo to talk about the team's disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, and to look ahead at the team's remaining schedule, as they continue to make a push toward the NBA playoffs.

3 days ago

Suns trail by as many as 36, fall to Pistons in Detroit