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Detroit
D on
full
display.
Pistons
guards
Ausar
Thompson
and Cade
Cunningham,
box in
Suns
forward
Miles
Bridges
with
zero
breathing
room.
(Photo
by
Montez
Miller/Tell
Us USA
News
Network) |
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NBA
great
Isaiah
Thomas
takes in
the
action
courtside
with a
special
guest,
sharing
a
front‑row
moment
at the
Pistons
v Suns
pre-season
game in
Detroit.
(Photo
by
Montez
Miller/Tell
Us USA
News
Network) |
| |
Pistons
Edge
Suns
109–107
in Fiery
Preseason
Opener
at LCA
Bunky
McFadden
- Sports
Tell Us
Detroit
News
Bureau
DETROIT
— Anyone
expecting
typical
October
exhibition
apathy
at
Little
Caesars
Arena on
Monday
night
got a
quick
wake-up
call.
The
Detroit
Pistons
scraped
out a
109–107
preseason-opening
victory
over the
Phoenix
Suns in
a game
that
felt
considerably
more
like a
gritty
mid-December
division
battle
than a
meaningless
warm-up
run.
The
temperature
inside
the
building
spiked
before
the
sweat
even
dried on
the
court.
Early in
the
opening
frame,
routine
physical
post
play
boiled
over
when
Pistons
forward
John
Collins
and Suns
wing
Dillon
Brooks
tangled
under
the
glass
jockeying
for
position.
A fierce
shove
led to
Collins
grabbing
Brooks
near the
neck,
forcing
head
official
Karl
Lane to
halt
play.
Following
video
replay,
officials
assessed
a
flagrant
1 foul
to
Collins
alongside
a
technical
foul on
Brooks.
It was
an
early,
unmistakable
declaration:
neither
side
planned
on
coasting.
Once the
hard
fouls
subsided,
the
tactical
storylines
took
center
stage.
Rookie
dynamic
wing Ron
Holland
II
injected
undeniable
energy
off
Detroit's
bench,
pacing
the
Pistons
with 14
points,
five
steals,
and two
blocks
in 24
minutes
of
relentless
floor
action.
Franchise
cornerstone
Cade
Cunningham
operated
with
supreme
composure
during
his
shift,
orchestrating
Detroit’s
revamped,
highly
mobile
lineup
alongside
newcomer
Duncan
Robinson.
Phoenix
stayed
within
striking
distance
thanks
to sharp
perimeter
shooting
and a
heavy
reliance
on their
primary
rotation
during
the
first
half.
Devin
Booker
put up
13
points
in 16
effortless
minutes,
while
Dillon
Brooks
chipped
in 11
points
before
the Suns
handed
the
controls
over to
their
reserve
unit.
Phoenix
systematically
chipped
away at
a
fourth-quarter
deficit,
but
Detroit’s
young
bench
depth
locked
down the
final
three
possessions,
forcing
key
turnovers
to seal
the
two-point
win.
Preseason
stat
lines
rarely
mean
much
when
April
rolls
around,
but the
edge and
defensive
tenacity
displayed
in
Downtown
Detroit
signaled
a group
clearly
done
playing
soft.
The
Pistons
continue
their
slate
later
this
week,
while
the Suns
return
home to
recalibrate
after a
physical
opener.
This
Tell Us
USA News
Network
report
is
produced
in part
by Ai
and can
make
mistakes.
Please
contact
and let
us know
of any
errors
you may
find.
info@tellususa.com
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