NBA: Phoenix Suns vs. Detroit Pistons Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Phoenix Suns made a big upset in Boston and 24 hours later have another clash coming up, this time against the Detroit Pistons in Michigan. Both teams are coming off wins and have to play on the second of back-to-back nights, which spices up the entire situation. The Suns are still oscillating and haven’t played well in recent times, primarily because the injuries ravaged their roster. On the other hand, we have the Pistons, who, too, are hurt by injuries, yet they are far away from the playoffs, unlike the Suns. 

Preview

Phoenix Suns (28-26, -195) beat the Celtics in Boston last night, and to be honest, nobody expected that. The final score was 106-94 for the franchise from Arizona, who controlled the game from the start until the end, and eventually broke the rivals in the final period.

Devin Booker will come back soon enough, but he didn’t play in this event. Mikal Bridges once again led the way with 25 points, a team-high. Chris Paul scored 15 and had eight assists and six boards, spending 35 minutes on the floor and controlling the game’s pace. 

Dario Saric was the key factor here, having a very strong double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, successfully competing with Tatum and Brown on the glass. Deandre Ayton scored 14, too, and had ten rebounds. Control of the glass was crucial here, as the Suns outrebounded the Cs 53-43. 

Detroit Pistons (14-39, +165) won last night following back-to-back defeats. The Pistons were better than the Charlotte Hornets, 118-112. Siddiq Bey delivered the win with a three, made some thirty seconds before the end.

Bey ended the night with 22 points and eight boards off the bench. The top scorer was Jaden Ivey, who had 24 buckets and seven assists. Ivey was perfect for three 4-for-4 and was overall 8-for-11. Jalen Duren had 13 rebounds and points, while Isaiah Stewart recorded 16 rebounds. 

Bojan Bogdanovic had 21 buckets, and the Croatian forward established himself as the leader of this unit. The trouble is that Bogdanovic might leave the Pistons in this free agency because half of the league wants to trade for the sharpshooter. 

Head to Head Games

The first game of the year was in late November at the Footprint Center. Phoenix was better in that one, 108-102. The Pistons made nine threes in this event, and the Suns only seven, but they prevailed. Ayton demolished the Pistons with 28 points and 12 boards, 11-for-13 from the floor, Booker 21, Cameron Payne 16 and 10 assists, while Paul skipped this contest. Bogdanovic had 19 for the Pistons, Alec Burks and Killian Hayes had 17 each. 

Prediction

There are some suggestions that Booker might play. Still, even without D-Book in the lineup, the Suns are the favorites, and we are picking them to win in Detroit. The hosts have been unconvincing throughout the entire season and most recently had just one win in five games prior to last night’s win against the Hornets. That’s why we back up the Phoenix Suns to win, with the odds for that -195. The spread is -4.5 and that’s for those who want to take some risk.

Pick: Suns win -195