Cade Cunningham recorded 28 points and 13 assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 133-125 victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Jaden Ivey had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Pistons thrived in the opener of a four-game road trip. Malik Beasley scored 18 points off the bench, Jalen Duren had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 16 points as Detroit ended a string of seven straight losses to the Suns.
Kevin Durant scored a season-high 43 points and also had six assists and five rebounds for Phoenix. Bradley Beal had 26 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Tyus Jones had 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting for the Suns, who lost their second straight game.
Phoenix star Devin Booker (groin) missed his first game of the season. He was injured Thursday against the Indiana Pacers.
The Pistons made 55.1 percent of their shots, were 19 of 39 from 3-point range and scored 34 points off 19 Phoenix turnovers. Tobias Harris and backup Simone Fontecchio each added 10 points as Detroit won for the third time in the past five games.
Royce O’Neale scored 11 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Phoenix, which connected on 57.7 percent of its attempts, including 14 of 29 from behind the arc. The Suns lost Grayson Allen late in the third quarter, and the team said he was being evaluated for a possible concussion.
Phoenix moved within 122-119 on two free throws by Durant with 2:26 remaining in the game.
Beasley swished a 3-pointer 15 seconds later, and Ivey added two free throws as the Pistons led by eight with 1:16 to go.
A basket by Beal and two free throws by Durant allowed the Suns to creep within four with 54.1 seconds left.
But Cunningham buried a 3-pointer to give Detroit a 130-123 lead with 32.9 seconds to go and the Pistons closed it out.
The Pistons led 103-94 entering the final stanza. A 3-pointer by Beasley gave Detroit a 112-99 advantage with 8:54 left, before Phoenix closed the gap.
Ivey and Duren each scored 10 points in the opening quarter as Detroit grabbed a 41-26 lead. Detroit led 64-59 at the half despite Phoenix shooting 60 percent from the field.
Durant had 17 points in the half for the Suns, while Hardaway had 13 for the Pistons.
–Field Level Media
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