Suns-Pistons Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Nov 27 2012 11:49PM

The Detroit Pistons dug themselves an early hole this season as they struggled on the road.

Detroit still has a ways to go to reach the break-even point, but it's heading in the right direction by taking care of business at Auburn Hills.

The Pistons look to push their home winning streak to four - and post their first set of back-to-back victories this season - on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns.

Starting with a 92-89 loss to the Suns (7-8) on Nov. 2, Detroit (4-11) dropped six straight on the road during its franchise-worst 0-8 start.

The Pistons, though, are one game above .500 since then after snapping a 12-game skid to Western Conference teams with Monday's 108-101 victory over Portland.

Detroit last won four straight at home from Feb. 29-March 10.

"When teams come here, they have to know that they're going to be in for a fight and know they're going to have to play close to a perfect game to get out of here with a win," point guard Brandon Knight told the Pistons' official website Monday after scoring a season-high 26 points with six assists.

The Suns had their five-game winning streak in this series snapped in their last visit to Auburn Hills, a 75-74 loss on Jan. 22, 2011. Prior to that contest, Phoenix was 62-0 all-time when it had allowed fewer than 80 points.

Led by point guard Goran Dragic's 19 points and seven assists, the Suns improved their record to 70-1 in such contests on Tuesday, defeating Cleveland 91-78 to improve to 1-1 on a season-high six-game trip.

It was the fewest points allowed this season by Phoenix, which entered the contest giving up league-high 103.3 per game.

"We're not the best team in the West, but we can play better and we can come home above .500," swingman Jared Dudley said after the Suns scored the final 14 points of the third quarter en route to its third win in four games.

A win would move the Suns back to .500 for the first time in more than two weeks, but slowing down the Pistons could be a challenge if Detroit spreads the ball around like it did on Monday. Seven players scored in double figures and eight had at least two assists in the team's highest scoring game of 2012-13.

"We had four possessions that resulted in a score where all five guys touched the ball," coach Lawrence Frank said. "To have seven guys in double figures and to have a bunch of guys with multiple assists, that's great."

Frank couldn't be more pleased with the play of rookie guard Kyle Singler, who is averaging 12.0 points and 3.7 rebounds while starting each game since the 0-8 start. The former Duke star recorded his first double-double on Monday, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.

"Kyle, I thought, was outstanding, playing a very, very complete game," Frank said. "Defensively, he was very, very solid - ran the floor extremely well, passed the ball well, rebounding."

Pistons center Greg Monroe, who is averaging 19.7 points and 11.3 boards during the home surge, had 10 points and six rebounds on Nov. 2.

Suns center Marcin Gortat scored 16 points and grabbed a season-best 16 rebounds in that contest, and Dragic added 15 points and 10 assists to help Phoenix win for the seventh time in eight matchups with Detroit.

Pistons rout Suns for first win streak of season

By NOAH TRISTER
Posted Nov 28 2012 11:30PM

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) Before leaving the court after their most lopsided win in nearly five years, the Detroit Pistons huddled near midcourt for a brief pep talk.

It's been another mediocre season so far, but a few more performances like this would turn things around in a hurry.

"We got a great win here at home - let's keep going," guard Brandon Knight said. "Every day, keep building."

Knight and Charlie Villanueva scored 19 points apiece, and the Pistons routed the Phoenix Suns 117-77 on Wednesday night. Detroit has won back-to-back games for the first time this season and has gone 5-3 since opening the season with eight straight losses.

The Pistons led 55-44 at halftime and then broke the game open when the Suns came unglued in the third quarter. Phoenix picked up four technical fouls in the third and trailed by as many as 44 in the fourth.

Detroit shot 12 of 16 from 3-point range.

"A lot of good play from a lot of good guys," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "You don't have a lot of games like this, but obviously a lot of bright spots that we've got to keep on building on."

Rodney Stuckey added 18 points for Detroit. Kyle Singler and Tayshaun Prince contributed 12 each, and Greg Monroe had nine points and eight rebounds.

Afterward, the team stayed on the court in a huddle, already trying to set the tone for the next game on the schedule.

"The message was basically: `Continue doing what we're doing. Everybody stay together."'

Luis Scola scored 11 points for the Suns, who beat Detroit 92-89 at Phoenix in early November.

It was Detroit's most lopsided win since beating Milwaukee 114-69 on Dec. 31, 2007.

Phoenix was in the third game of a six-game road trip. It was 24-all after the first quarter, but the Suns went the entire second period and most of the third without a single assist.

"There was nothing that we did that you could say was even NCAA quality," Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said. "There's not anything to say. It was an absolutely horrendous game, and we'll have to do much, much better."

Corey Maggette's 3-pointer capped a 15-5 run in the second and gave Detroit a 52-38 lead. It was an 11-point game after two and the worst was still to come for the Suns.

Detroit's Jason Maxiell and Phoenix's Markieff Morris were called for a double technical early in the third, and Maxiell followed that with a dunk that made it 59-44. Knight was then fouled on a fast break by Shannon Brown, who was whistled for a technical of his own. The Detroit guard made all three free throws for an 18-point lead.

Goran Dragic was the next to get a technical, and when Sebastian Telfair was called for one with 5:03 left in the third, Phoenix had as many technicals in the quarter as points. A free throw by Stuckey made it 74-48.

"It's embarrassing. No professional loses by 30 or 40," Phoenix's Jared Dudley said. "It's kind of how we lost. Let's be honest, Detroit is not a really good team. Their team has struggled, like us at times."

At one point in the third, Gentry sent a whole new group of five to the scorer's table to check in, although they couldn't all do so at once because the Suns had a player shooting free throws.

Phoenix couldn't even manage a cosmetic fourth-quarter run to make it respectable. After a 3-pointer by Knight pushed the lead to 40, Gentry called a timeout and stood with his hands on his hips, staring out at the court with a bemused look on his face. A dunk by Detroit rookie Andre Drummond made it 109-67.

NOTES: Phoenix did avoid the most lopsided loss by an NBA team this season, according to STATS, LLC. Charlotte lost to Oklahoma City 114-69 on Monday. ... The last team to go a whole quarter without an assist was Toronto on Nov. 13, in the fourth against Indiana, according to STATS.

Notebook: Pistons 117, Suns 77

Dana Gauruder, For NBA.com
Posted Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:10 PM - Updated Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:15 AM

THE FACTS: Bench players Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stuckey combined for 37 points as the Detroit Pistons collected their most lopsided victory in nearly five years, pounding the Phoenix Suns 117-77 Wednesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Brandon Knight added 19 points as the Pistons won consecutive games for the first time this season and nailed down their fourth straight home win. Detroit (5-11) has won five of eight after starting the season 0-8. Luis Scola's 11 points led Phoenix (7-9), which dropped to 1-2 on its six-game road trip.

QUOTABLE: "Any time a person ... comes off the bench and can knock down shots like that, it's always a boost for the team. [Villanueva has] definitely given us a boost since he's been in the rotation and, hopefully, he continues to play well."

-- Pistons center Greg Monroe on Villanueva, who had a season-high 19 points

THE STAT: 56-44. Phoenix had won three of its last four behind a bench that outscored the opponents' reserves 42-18. The Pistons' backups overshadowed the Suns' bench Wednesday, outscoring it 56-44. The only reason Phoenix had that many bench points was that four of its starters played less then six minutes in the second half. Detroit's bench had a 27-15 advantage in the first half when the Pistons built an 11-point lead.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by 11 at halftime, the Suns seemed more interested in getting overly physical against their opponent and arguing with the officials than making a comeback. Markieff Morris, Shannon Brown, Goran Dragic and Sebastian Telfair each received technicals during the first seven minutes of the second half. That allowed the Pistons to extend their lead to 26 points. Phoenix missed 9 of their 10 shots and committed four turnovers during that stretch.

QUOTABLE II: "They lifted us up. You talk about the offensive end, but those guys got after it on the defensive end as well. They really stepped up on that side of it. They played with energy and that translated to them having a great game."

-- Brandon Knight on Villanueva and Stuckey

HOT: Knight, who made the All-Rookie First Team last season, got off to a slow start as the Pistons lost their first eight games. But the second-year point guard has regained his shooting stroke in the last four, averaging 20.5 points. His perimeter shooting has been especially potent, as he's 12-for-19 on 3-pointers during that stretch. He added six assists Monday.

NOT: Phoenix's starting five had a combined 33 points on 11-for-34 shooting and made 10 of the team's 19 turnovers while supplying just three assists. Dragic and Morris were the only starters to reach double figures.

ROOKIE WATCH: The Pistons continued to get strong play from Kyle Singler and Andre Drummond. Singler, the starting shooting guard, had 12 points and four rebounds while backup center Drummond contributed six points and nine rebounds of the bench.

NOTABLE: The last time Detroit won by 40 or more points was Dec. 31, 2007, when it defeated Milwaukee 114-69. ... Phoenix's 11 assists was a season low. ... Monroe has grabbed at least five rebounds in 107 consecutive games, the longest current streak in the league. The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin is next with 90 straight. ... The Suns had won seven of their last eight against the Pistons, including a 92-89 victory in Phoenix earlier this month. ... Detroit didn't get its fifth victory last season until its 25th game. ... The Pistons have recorded season highs in points in back-to-back games. They had 108 against Portland Monday.

UP NEXT: For the Suns, Friday @ Toronto, Sunday @ New York, Tuesday @ Memphis. For the Pistons, Friday @ Memphis, Saturday @ Dallas, Monday vs. Cleveland.

• Suns: Frye, Garrett
• Pistons: Kravtsov, Middleton

• Suns: Brown, Dragic, Morris, Telfair
• Pistons: Maxiell

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
• Officials: #36 David Jones, #74 Curtis Blair, #26 Pat Fraher
• Attendance: 10517
• Duration: 2:14