Phoenix, AZ–The Phoenix Suns won their franchise-record 18th win in a row, beating the Detroit Pistons 114-103 on Thursday night at FootPrint Center.
Johnson and Cam Payne came of the bench to give the Suns the added spark , which finished with 48 points. Deandre Ayton had 17 points and 12 boads as Phoenix improved to 19-3 for the season.
”I haven’t talked about streaks of any kind just because we have been so focused on improving,” Suns coach Monty Williams said of the run that’s lasted more than a month. ”But it is really cool to be a part of something like that.”
The Pistons made a strong comeback in the second half, erasing an 18-point deficit cutting the lead to one in the third, but double-doubles from superstar Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton was just to much for Detroit to contend with.
Even with the Suns missing Devin Booker, Detroit was walking a tight rope tonight.
They looked like a lost cause in the first half as Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes was in foul trouble. The reserves were horrible, the starters couldn’t defend, and Phoenix took advantage — thanks to a 15-point half from Payne.
The Pistons fought to the end, was led in scoring by Jerami Grant (34 points, six boards) and Cunningham, who had 19 points with five assists despite spending half of the first half on the bench with foul trouble. Center Isaiah Stewart had 12 points and 14 boards.
”We’ll learn from it,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. ”We had some growth.”
TIP-INS:
Detroit: Kelly Olynyk (left knee strain), Jamorko Pickett (G League-Two Way), Isaiah Livers (G League-On Assignment) and Chris Smith (G League-Two Way) did not play.
Phoenix: The Suns feel Booker’s hamstring injury is minor, but they still expect him to miss a few games. Coach Monty Williams said they’ll monitor him and see how he progresses. … Shamet replaced Booker in the starting lineup and scored 14 points. … F/C Frank Kaminsky (right knee), F Abdel Nader (right knee) and F Dario Saric (right knee) didn’t play. Williams was named NBA coach of the month for November. The Suns were perfect for the month, winning all of their 16 games.
UP NEXT:
Pistons: Host the Thunder on Monday.
Suns: Travel to face Golden State on Friday.
