Game Recap: Suns down Pistons in Saturday afternoon clash, 125-121

The Suns got 99 of their 125 points from combined efforts of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and new center Nick Richards.

The Phoenix Suns rolled into the Motor City looking to get a win against the Pistons. They did just that, downing Detroit 125-121 at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday night.

What a game!

Top Performers

• Kevin Durant: 36 PTS (13-of-27 FG, 2-of-8 3-point FG), 8-of-12 FT, 7 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK
• Devin Booker: 35 PTS (11-of-22 FG, 1-of-5 3-point FG), 12-of-13 FT, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL
• Nick Richards: 21 PTS (7-of-8 FG), 7-of-9 FT, 11 REB, 1 AST

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Game Flow

First Half

Kevin Durant’s 1-of-9 first half may have had you concerned, but thankfully, Devin Booker was there to carry the Suns.

Book’s 23 first-half points on 7-of-11 field goals were classic Book. He got to the elbows, used his balance and had terrific footwork to nip at Detroit’s young defenders. They got a lesson in how to not guard one of the NBA’s best scorers.

Impressively, the Suns shot 23 first-half free throws. I picked Detroit to win but Phoenix’s rebounding, cutting and off-ball movement allowed its spacing to open up for Book and KD. And then, Nick Richards was looking like exactly what the Suns have needed all season long.

This is going to be a difficult team if the Suns can consistently did the things they did well in the first half. KD had great looks, and I think they would have led by 12+ if he made shots.

Second Half

The Suns held a 98-95 lead entering the fourth quarter, when it may have been time for the Suns to go to Booker and Durant, who had 19 points in the third, only. That’s exactly what they did.

Seventeen of the Suns’ 27 fourth-quarter points (9 from KD, 8 from Book) came from Phoenix’s superstar duo. And wouldn’t you know, Richards, who didn’t start, came in and had some nice finishes and rolls to open up the scoring.

One of my biggest “What if” scenarios is thinking about Deandre Ayton with the Big 3. Obviously, it’s hindsight but an athletic center creates so many halfcourt advantages. The Suns would have benefitted from an engaged Ayton last season, since Jusuf Nurkic and even Drew Eubanks could not find a consistent paint presence.

Richards’ dunks were awesome.

Outside of those three scorers, rookie Ryan Dunn had 12 points and tied a season-high with 13 shot attempts, along with eight boards. Mason Plumlee played just under 13 minutes, while Richards played 29.

Detroit was led by Tobias Harris, though he had just six of his 21 points in the second half. Cade Cunningham, who was recently the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, had 20 points and 11 assists.

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Up Next

Phoenix will head to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers, who are tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA’s best record (34-6). The game is on Monday and tips off at 1:30 p.m. Arizona time.