Kevin Durant scored 21 points and Bradley Beal had 12 for the Phoenix Suns as a strong second half saw them beat the Detroit Pistons 105-97 on Tuesday night.
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Royce O’Neale clinched 11 points and both Devin Booker and Ryan Dunn added 10 points each for the Suns. Phoenix are 2-0 to begin the preseason after this victory. A powerful force for the Pistons, Jalen Duren tallied 17 points and five rebounds in the defeat. Jaden Ivey pitched in with 16 points.
Suns off to hot start in preseason
Both teams were trading buckets back and forth in the first quarter, with the Suns leading 36-29. Despite Ivey shooting a perfect 4-for-4 and eight points in the frame, Durant matched his efficiency but with two 3-pointers, netting 10.
After an impressive preseason debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, Suns rookie Ryan Dunn was a workhorse on both ends of the court yet again. Dunn, the No. 28 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, had 10 points, four rebounds, two blocks and an eye-popping sequence where he stripped Cade Cunningham of the ball and ran down the court for a three.
During training camp, it was expressed by players and head coach Mike Budenholzer that the Suns were going to attempt more and more threes since other teams across the NBA are doing the same. In the first half alone, Phoenix fired at a 10-for-25 (40%) from behind the arch and concluded with being 16-for-46 (34.8%).
With 5:49 left in the second quarter, a special moment occurred for Arizona basketball fans and local kids around the state dreaming of playing in the NBA.
Suns guard TyTy Washington Jr. checked into his first game with the Suns and was on the floor with Oso Ighodaro. Both Washington Jr. and Ighodaro are Arizona natives who are both representing the hometown team, with Washington Jr. from Phoenix while Ighodaro was born in Mesa and grew up in Chandler.
Detroit was not going away as they did trail behind the Suns, but there was a small amount of breathing room between the two. Like the game against the Lakers on Sunday, however, the Suns were dominated in the paint before halftime, outscored by the Pistons 26-12.
The Pistons’ one-two punch of Ivey and Duren was dangerous throughout the night, with Ivey shooting from everywhere, Duren being a menace in the paint and the two connecting on alley-oops.
Seeing its lead slowly dissipate to just two 60-58, the Suns went on a game-changing 18-0 run in the third quarter and broke away from the Pistons. Pushing the ball around the perimeter and finding an open man, Phoenix’s playmaking as a collective unit spurred them to win the quarter 31-20.
Playing in his first game since the 2023 playoffs on Sunday, Damion Lee looked to follow up a 12-point showing vs. the Lakers with another noteworthy display. After being involved in a heated confrontation with Pistons rookie Ron Holland II, though, Lee soon left the game and didn’t return.
Detroit closed a 21-point gap to eight in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done. The Pistons turned the ball over 20 times compared to 13 giveaways by Phoenix, led in rebounds 44-38 and shot 38-for-85 (41.2%) overall.
