Pistons vs. Suns preview: Detroit in for late-night rematch against Devin Booker and co.

The Detroit Pistons finish their home and home preseason tilt against the Phoenix Suns with a game out west that tops off at 10 p.m. ET. The first match had a lot more in it for Phoenix than it did for Detroit. Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who won a national championship with Michigan State was in attendance, and Suns guard Devin Booker treated it like a homecoming, with the Grand Rapids native gifting the basketball team custom sneakers. The Suns also easily coasted to a win behind strong games from Kevin Durant and Booker, and strong defense everywhere on the floor.

Game Vitals

When: 10 p.m. ET
Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons +3.5

Analysis

The returns were not nearly as solid for the Pistons. After shining in nearly all phases in a game one win against the Bucks, Detroit mostly scuffled in game two. The team shot just 30% from deep, had less than a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio, and didn’t deliver the defensive intensity needed to compete.

Cade Cunningham had eight assists and orchestrated for others well enough, but he had trouble navigating through all the defensive attention he received. He was easily stripped of the ball once, stymied at the rim a number of times and was just 1-of-6 from the field.

Jalen Duren again showed while he is more active, he lacks some essential defensive instincts, Ron Holland struggled to score, and Marcus Sasser struggled to look like a legit backup point guard.

Fundamentally, though, each game might rise and fall based on the veterans’ abilities to knock down threes. In the first matchup against the Suns, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Simone Fontecchio combined to shoot 4-of-14 from deep. That’s not going to get it done.

Harris, who has been absent from preseason action with COVID-19, could make his debut tonight. Interestingly, in looking at Harris’ prolific ability to suit up and avoid injury this offseason, I discovered that he has only missed more than three consecutive games once since 2015-16. That was also because he had COVID in 2021 and found himself in the league’s health and safety protocols.