PHOENIX — The Detroit Pistons set the tone early against the Phoenix Suns, jumping out to an early 28-13 lead in the first quarter. The Suns started off the game with little-to-no effort and Detroit took advantage of it.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Boos rained down from the Footprint Center crowd as the Suns took to the bench down 15 for a timeout.
Kevin Durant led the game with 11 first quarter points for Phoenix, but the young Pistons tandem of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren took advantage of the Suns’ lackluster defense, combining for 20 points in the opening quarter.
Turnovers have been a huge point of contention for the Suns recently and this game was no different. Phoenix committed seven turnovers and 16 points off them in just the first quarter.
End of the First Quarter: Detroit Pistons 41-26 Phoenix Suns
The Suns are dominating in every facet of the game thus far, leading to the Suns fans booing. Jaden Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Duren have combined for 29 of Detroit's points.#SunsUp #NBA #DetroitBasketball
— Burn City Suns ☀️ (@BurnCitySuns) December 22, 2024
With Durant on the bench to start the second quarter, Jusuf Nurkic and Bradley Beal provided a much-needed boost to get the Suns back on track before the end of the half. A once 15-point lead was cut to five as the Suns battled back and entered the half down 64-59.
Notable halftime stats:
- Kevin Durant: 17 pts, 5 tov, 3 pf, 5-10 FG
- Bradley Beal: 14 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 6-8 FG
- Tyus Jones: 9 pts, 1 ast, 1 tov, 4-4 FG
- Jusuf Nurkic: 6 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 2-4 FG
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenosports, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
