Detroit Pistons unable to overcome Kevin Durant’s second-half outburst, lose second straight

On By Littum

Detroit – On Saturday, the Detroit Lions had the city in the palm of their hands. Almost everyone at Little Caesars Arena wore Honolulu blue in preparation for the Lions’ divisional playoff contest against the Washington Commanders. Even All-Star guard Devin Booker had the Lions’ postseason run on his mind, confirming to The Detroit News that he planned to attend the game at Ford Field for the 7 p.m. kickoff. 8 p.m.

Coach JB Bickerstaff didn’t care about the excitement surrounding the Pistons as the opening act for the highly anticipated game, but his message was simple.

“We have to do our job; we understand the juice, the vibe and the feeling in the city,” Bickerstaff said. “I think our guys really connected with the city and the fan base and they understand how energetic the day is with what the Lions are facing and the opportunity they have in front of them. …

“For us, it’s about understanding that we have a responsibility to each other and the job ahead of us. We need to take care of the Suns by being healthy in who we are.”

The Pistons took Bickerstaff’s message to heart, but eventually lost 125-121. This was their first loss in back-to-back games since early December.

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Kevin Durant shows all-time greatness as Pistons fall to Suns

Kevin Durant scores 30 points in the second half as the Pistons fall 125-121 to the Suns.

Kevin Durant, who scored a season-high 43 points against the Pistons on Dec. 21, started the day shooting 1-of-9 in the first half. However, the former league MVP winner started to come into his own in the third quarter when he scored 21 points.

Durant’s performance in the third quarter halted the momentum the Pistons were beginning to establish. Jalen Duren’s dunk at the 5:22 mark gave Detroit its biggest lead of the game, 82-75. However, the Suns outscored Detroit 23-13 to close the period.

BOX SCORE: Suns 125, Stamps 121

Duren (15 points and 10 rebounds) hit a pair of free throws to give the Pistons a 111-110 lead with 5:30 left. On Phoenix’s next possession, Durant helped the Suns regain the lead with a mid-range fadeaway.

With a minute left, the Pistons trailed 119-117 when Durant put the game out of reach with another mid-range basket. He finished with 36 points, 30 of which came in the second half.

“At the end of the day, he’s Kevin Durant,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s a matter of him getting to his shot and finding those shots. He’s seven feet tall with a high release. It’s hard to defend when he gets rolling, but I thought our guys challenged and didn’t gave him something easy . But again he just made more shots.”

Cade Cunningham recorded his 18th double-double of the season with 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. Detroit fell to 21-21.

Tobias Harris set an early tone for the Pistons by scoring 13 of his 21 points in the first quarter and matching Booker’s output. The Michigan native erupted for 23 points in the first half, leading the Pistons to trail 61-60 at halftime.

Booker scored 35 points, shooting 11-of-22 from the floor and 12-of-13 from the foul line.no. Nick Richards added 21 points and 11 rebounds.

“I think we played a good game for the most part,” Cunningham said. “I think just some of the little things, some of the offensive rebounds, just the little things that make the difference between winning and losing, we didn’t get those things done tonight. Those things are supposed to be our identity . We’re kind of lost on that, but we’re moving on.”

Observations and notes vs. Sun

Marcus Sasser shines from the bench: Marcus Sasser had arguably his most impactful performance of the season. In 17 minutes, Sasser scored 11 points while adding four rebounds.

Cade Cunningham’s defense: Bickerstaff has constantly raved about Cunningham’s All-NBA worthy season. However, his play on the defensive side of the ball has been one of the main reasons Bickerstaff believes Cunningham’s name should be among the league’s most elite. Cunningham had an impressive defensive performance in the first half.

As Durant’s primary defender, Cunningham was vital in the future Hall-of-Famer’s games. During the first half, Durant began the day shooting 1-of-9 from the field and 0-of-5 from deep. He also accounted for one of Durant’s careless turnovers. But his best defensive performance came with 8:23 left in the second quarter when Cunningham blocked a dunk attempt by Suns big man Oso Ighodaro.

Full problems for the pistons: Bickerstaff called Paul Reed early because Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were in foul trouble. Each player recorded three personal fouls in the first half. Duren was able to come back after being in foul trouble, but it seemed that Stewart never recovered by playing less aggressively in the second half.

Next

The Pistons play the Houston Rockets on Monday in an MLK Day showdown. This is the first game of a five-game road trip that also includes the Atlanta Hawks (Wednesday), Orlando Magic (Saturday), Cleveland Cavaliers (Jan. 27) and Indiana Pacers (Jan. 29). Tip-off between the pistons and the rockets is scheduled for 14 in the Toyota Center.

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