Final score: Suns lose ugly in Motor City, 110-105

The best in the West versus the least in the East. On paper, this match was destined for a sudden outcome. We do not live on paper. Phoenix traveled to Motor City on Friday night, and despite going up 23, they were outscored 62-49 in the second half and lost 110-105 /

One positive we can take when we play in the central time zone is games that start at 5pm. Does it reject you from your Suns viewer schedule? Definitely. But like a Sunday afternoon Diamondbacks game or an early Sunday cardinal game, when the action is over, you are excited to have extra time in the day to discuss what you have recorded.

Shameless self-promotion for Ballistic Products and a great bargain on a neat little knife for you. We’ve gotta go live after 19:30 instead of 9:30 pm.

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Game Flow

First half

With the first game of a rugby match against the worst team in the league (according to record), you were hoping for a beating. You were hoping this team would come out, impose their will and put their foot on the struggling Pistons’ neck.

Early turnover would prevent the Suns’ first-team unit from jumping to an early lead; they had 6 turnovers in the first 9 minutes of the game. Enter the Suns Super Second group.

A quick 6 from Dario, a hesitation by Cam Payne, some forced turnovers, and the Suns were 9 after a quarter of the game.

One interesting match was Devin Booker against Josh Jackson. Jackson was a late addition to the Pistons series, making his first-ever appearance against the team that lined him up. The two found that they match early and regularly.

Booker seems to be delighted to play against his former teammate. He defiantly challenges him, turns around and rises to the top to hit a jumper. Defensively, Booker placed his third block on a ride from Jackson. Josh ends the game with 5 points and 2 boards.

The second team continued to increase the lead in the early stages of the second as former Piston Langston Galloway decided to show up. And he has. Big.

Was it a revenge match for him? The Pistons chose not to bring him back last season, and he moved to Phoenix and signed a $ 2 million 1-year contract in November.

Galloway simmer, boil then, and then straighten in the second quarter. He scored 17 points on 6-7 off the field, including 5-6 from downtown.

The Pistons responded with a 9-0 run following the Langston onslaught and a mid-second-time. By the time Devin Booker returned to the field with 5 minutes left, the Suns were at 14. The first time Book played back on the field, he had fourth turnover, a problem Devin was trying to shake.

It will be interesting to see how Phoenix responds to such a big lead. The second team regularly put the Suns in a position to succeed. In this match, they increased the lead to 23 points. The challenge is for the first team to retain the lead.

True to form, they have not.

The Pistons finished the first half on a 17-2 run and the Suns were at 8 to the locker room.

Second half

Adjustments in the second half were a strong point for the Suns through the first 8 games of the season. The work that Monty Williams and his staff did in analyzing what they saw in the first half and adjusting accordingly should be commended.

You saw an adjustment almost immediately.

Adjustments, however, go both ways. Detroit drops the edge early and often in the first quarter with Jerami Grant and Delon Wright. Pistons coach Dwane Casey opted to bolster the strategy early in the third year.

Indeed, problems for the Suns again picked up an ugly head while the Detroit adjustment worked. The Suns were in the penalty area with 7:47 left in the third and up by 10 points. The Piston’s took advantage and shot 12-12, drawing the game tied at 3:22 in the third.

Conversely, the Suns still showed their inability to get to the line. A crime built on finesse and passing, cutting and shooting still has found no way to enforce their will on the interior. They do not put the opposition in difficult situations and enforce the issues that result in free throws. When they finally do, we make use of it. Phoenix shot 6-13 off the line Friday.

You put teams away by putting them in trouble and avoiding it yourself.

The Suns did not make a point of the charity streak until there was 1:25 in the third ear. Thanks Cam Johnson. Suns with 4 at the end of three.

The three-pointer, a strong point early in the game for Phoenix, was a primary contributing factor in getting the Pistons back in the game. The Suns got a stretch when they shot from the late second to the fourth quarter with 2-25 from outside the arc.

We know this team has the affinity for the three. They have, on average, more 3PA than any team in Suns history. The old saying of “live by the three, die by the three” has made this game too close for too long.

The fourth became a battle of exhaustion. The Suns took the lead for most of the quarter, but tested regularly. Detroit put the Suns halfway through the 4th trouble again.

Detroit took the lead with 2:36 left.

Monty fielded a final series of CP3, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Deandre Ayton.

Cam, who replaced Dario Saric, strengthened Monty’s decision to set him up late. He hit a big try to put the Suns on 2nd. After a block by Johnson, Bridges cut for a running lineup to put the Suns up 1:29 at 4 p.m.

Detroit cut it 2 after two more free throws from Jerami Grant. With 18.1, under 2 and with possession of the ball, the Pistons called time-out and set up the game and leveled the game on a Mason Plumlee dunk.

Devin Booker took the last shot for Phoenix, but it went a little long. For the first time this season, the Suns are going after overtime. Not what you want at night from a back-to-back.

Overtime

Detroit quickly went up 7. Two shots by rookie Saddiq Bey, one of which was from deep but the Suns in a tough spot 100-93.

The Suns’ work was cut out for them. They fought back to cut the Pistons lead to 3, 106-103. It was too little, too late.

Jerami Grant was too much for the Suns. His 31 points and ten boards were closed by a triangle that tipped Detroit by 6 points.

Tonight it felt like the Suns were playing the back of a rugby player, not the front. The team got offensively cold in the 2nd half. 37 points in the half, after scoring 29 in the first quarter, it’s not going to cut.

Bad problems are carried over to the extra period when Booker and Ayton were beaten with offensive offenses.

The weak shooting from the depths (32.7%). The turnover (20). The difference between three throws (Suns 13 FTA, Pistons 27 FTA).

Suns lose.

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Following

It was a rugby game, with the next game taking place tomorrow night against the Indiana Pacers.

Domantas Sabonis was spectacular this season and his average of 20.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists with 57.7% shooting will be challenging. The Pacers are currently 6-2. Their only losses were against the Boston Celtics and the (surprisingly) New York Knickerbockers.

See you tomorrow night Suns fans.