Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives around Phoenix Suns forward Royce O’Neale during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
PHOENIX — Cade Cunningham scored 28 points and had 13 assists, Jalen Duren added 17 points and 11 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons beat the Phoenix Suns 133-125 on Saturday night.
The Pistons dominated the majority of the game and didn’t trail after the first few minutes. The Suns cut their deficit to 122-119 with 2:26 left on a pair of free throws by Kevin Durant, but Malik Beasley responded with a corner 3 to thwart the comeback attempt.
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Durant scored a season-high 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting and made all 11 of his free throws. Bradley Beal added 26, but the Suns couldn’t overcome 19 turnovers.
READ: NBA: Jazz knock off Pistons to end three-game skid
In case y’all haven’t gotten the memo…
HE’S AN ALL-STAR 🌟 (https://t.co/GVecNqU41G) https://t.co/8lcXKu2uDA pic.twitter.com/rZd4pX2buI
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) December 22, 2024
Seven Detroit players scored in double figures. Jaden Ivey had 20, Beasley added 18 and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16.
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Detroit jumped out to a 41-26 lead by the end of the first quarter, scoring 16 points off of seven Phoenix turnovers. The Suns cut the margin to 64-59 by halftime.
The Suns played their first game of the season without four-time All-Star guard Devin Booker, who is out with left groin soreness.
Takeaways
Pistons: Detroit’s aggressive defense caused the Suns problems all night. The rising Pistons have won three of their past five games.
Suns: They’ve lost 12 of their last 18 games after starting the season 8-1. Turnovers were the main culprit on Saturday. Booker’s absence was certainly a factor, but there’s no real excuse for being that sloppy.
READ: NBA: Hardaway, Cunningham help Pistons cool off Heat
Key moment
The Suns had a little hope in the final minute, but Cunningham hit a 3-pointer with 33.8 seconds left that pushed the Pistons’ lead to seven.
Key stat
The Suns shot nearly 62% from the field over the first three quarters but still trailed 103-94, mostly because of turnovers and shoddy defense.
Up next
The Pistons are at the Los Angeles Lakers and the Suns are at the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
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