National Basketball Association

Phoenix Suns v Detroit Pistons 11/9 Game Preview

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Phoenix Suns (2-6) v Detroit Pistons (4-3)

Wednesday 11/9/16 7:00pm

Talking Stick Resort

Fox Sports Arizona/Arizona Sports 98.7

Season Series 0-0

All-Time Series – Phoenix Suns lead 66-63

Last matchup – December 2, 2015 – Pistons defeat Suns 127-122 in OT

Suns’ last game – 124-121 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers

Pistons’ last game – 114-82 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers

Suns’ Scoring Averages – 107.6 PTS/G – 114.6 OPP PTS/G

Pistons’ Scoring Averages – PTS/G – 97.9 OPP PTS/G 96.0

Preview

Phoenix Suns

The Suns lost their second in a row last night, this time to the Portland Trail Blazers. For a recap of the game, read here…Devin Booker continues to hold the Suns’ scoring average lead over T.J. Warren at 23.0 to Warren’s 20.5. With 31 points against Portland, Eric Bledsoe is now making a push in scoring as well and is now up to 19.1 points per game…The last Suns team to have three players average over 20 points per game in a season was 1988-89 with Tom Chambers with 25.7, Eddie Johnson at 21.5, and Kevin Johnson at 20.4…The Suns’ three-point shooting is slowly ticking up as the team now averages .294%, and Devin Booker’s 12-37 is a more respectable .324%…Paul Coro has reported that Tyson Chandler’s Mother and Mark West’s Father passed away within minutes of each other on Tuesday. God be with them and their families in this difficult time…The Suns are currently 1st in the league in rebounding…Speaking of 1st place, they are 1st in 2pt field Goals made and attempted…The Suns are also now 1st in free throws made and attempted, although they are 15th in ft%…With 27 personal fouls against Portland, the Suns are still dead last in fouls per game in the NBA…Phoenix’s 114.6 points opponents scoring allowed currently ranks them last in the league…The Suns are now 4th in the league in steals, averaging 9.1 per game… With Marquese Chriss in the starting lineup and Tyson Chandler out, Dragan Bender and Chriss were turned to to play extra minutes against Portland and did not disappoint. The two combined for 17 points on 7-16 shooting, 2 blocks, 6 rebounds, and 3 turnovers…

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are currently sitting 5th in the Eastern Conference at 4-3. All three losses have come on the road: Toronto, Brooklyn, and the Clippers…Detroit has five players averaging in double figures with a sixth only .7 points away. Former Suns Marcus Morris is second on the team with 16.4 points per game, Jon Leuer is at 10.0, and Ish Smith is averaging 9.3…Former Suns small forward Reggie Bullock is also on the Detroit roster, although he is currently sidelined with back spasms and no return date has been announced…This is Marcus Morris’ second appearance back in Phoenix since the infamous trade that shipped him to Detroit in the 2015 offseason. In his last game against the Suns in Phoenix, Morris helped lead the Pistons to a road win scoring 20 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and coming away with 2 steals…Detroit has won three straight against the Suns dating back to 2014. The Suns’ last victory against Detroit was Nov. 19, 2014 in Detroit, 88-86…Pistons center already Andre Drummond already has four double doubles this season, including a 20 point and 23 rebound double double against the Milwaukee Bucks on Halloween Eve…Even with the rebounding prowess of Drummond, the Pistons rank 11th in both defensive rebounds and total rebounds in the NBA…Outside of field goals made and attempted, in which Detroit sits 7th and 5th, the Pistons do not preside I the top ten in any major statistical category, except for opponents scoring per game. The Pistons allow 96.0 points per game which ranks them 4th in the league…

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