Detroit Pistons defeat Phoenix Suns on the road, 133-125

PHOENIX – After suffering one of their worst losses of the season, the Detroit Pistons bounced back.

The Pistons (12-17) defeated the Phoenix Suns on the road 133-125. Malik Beasley hit a big 3-pointer with 2:11 on the clock in the final period to give the Pistons a 125-119 lead after the Suns got within three points. Jaden Ivey’s free throws extended the lead to eight with 1:16 left and capped the game.

The final dagger belonged to Cade Cunningham, who knocked down a pull-up 3 to give the Pistons a seven-point lead with 33 seconds to play.

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It was a defensively lax night for both teams, with Phoenix shooting 57.5% overall and 48.3% (14 of 29) from three and the Pistons shooting 55.1% and 48.7% overall (19 of 39). ) from three goals scored.

“Our guys handled it well,” said head coach JB Bickerstaff. “When you have guys like KD (Kevin Durant) and Brad Beal, the experienced players, the role players, the shot makers, they’re going to do something. They’re going to make a run.” What I think we did really well in the fourth quarter is we continued to do things to score the basketball. Take a look at the rim. A great lesson for us in how we play When teams make a run, how we counteract their execution. I think we did a good job.

Cunningham led the Pistons with 28 points and 13 assists. Ivey returned after a two-game absence with left knee inflammation and posted 20 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. However, they had no answer for Durant, who scored 43 points. Bradley Beal added 26 points. The Suns were without Grand Rapids native Devin Booker due to groin pain.

The Pistons dominated the first quarter and built an early lead of 41-26. They knocked down 63% of their field goals and had 11 assists and three turnovers – a complete turnaround from their terrible start against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, when they trailed by 29 points after the opening period before winning 126-119 lost.

The confusion of the Suns benefited them, as they scored 22 points from 11 Suns turnovers in the first half. The Pistons finished the game with 33 points on 19 turnovers by the Suns. Phoenix closed the half with momentum, however, using a 12-0 run to cut the 15-point lead to three with less than a minute left.

The Suns cut the lead again to five points, 115-110, with just over four minutes remaining in total after Durant hit a layup. With about 2:30 to play, Beal missed a short throw that would have cut the game to three, but they kept the ball and Durant fouled Cunningham, knocking both of them to the ground, cutting the Pistons’ lead over Beasley to 122 -119 shortened 3rd

Ivey responded aggressively

After fending off an offensive rebound off Mason Plumlee’s outstretched arms, Ivey recovered the ball from behind the arc before turning for a dime and sliding past Plumlee for a layup late in the first period. After missing two games, Ivey looked energized upon his return. He led the Pistons with 10 points, four assists and four rebounds in the first quarter, including three offensive boards.

“I thought he was great,” Cunningham said. “I literally told him that. We missed the spark he has. He started with a few offensive rebounds that got us going and made a lot of great reads. He was everywhere.”

The Suns cut the Pistons’ lead to five at halftime after leading by 15. Ivey helped the Pistons stay in control by opening the second half with consecutive 3-pointers before adding a short jumper late in the third to extend the lead back to 11.

It’s been a comeback for the third-year guard, who shot just 32.3% overall in five games before missing the Pistons’ previous two. He gave them the extra offensive power they lacked in the loss to the Jazz, knocking down timely three-pointers and matching his season high with eight assists.

Hardaway finds his rhythm again

He was the Pistons’ most effective shooter in the first few weeks of the season. But after missing three games with a head injury, Tim Hardaway Jr. hasn’t been quite himself since.

In the first 12 games of the season, he shot 45.7% from three. That shot down to 27.7% in his 13 games after returning from the injury report. During his lengthy crisis, Bickerstaff stayed with him in the starting lineup.

Hardaway shined in Monday’s win over the Miami Heat, knocking down two 3-pointers in the first half and three straight in the final moments of overtime, giving the Pistons a home win. He shot just 2-9 from 3 against Utah, but Saturday marked his second time making at least four 3-pointers in three games – and the second time since he made 4 in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers :8 scored on November 4th.

Against the Suns, he got going right away and knocked down all three attempts in the first period.

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Detroit Pistons defeat Phoenix Suns on the road, 133-125

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