Dillon Brooks Drops Career-High 40 Points To Lead Phoenix Suns To Upset Win Over Detroit Pistons
In one of the more surprising outcomes this season, the injury-ridden Phoenix Suns cruised to a huge 114-96 win over the East-leading Detroit Pistons behind a career night from Dillon Brooks.
Suns Offense Fires On All Cylinders In Booker and Green’s Absence
Coming into the game, the Suns were once again without the services of star guards Devin Booker and Jalen Green. Booker has now missed the previous three games as the four-time All-Star went down with a right ankle sprain last Friday that will sideline him for at least a week. At the same time, Green was also held out of tonight’s game, as the Suns continued to play it safe with him after Green reaggravated a right hamstring injury that sidelined him for 33 games earlier this season.
Suns Head Coach Jordan Ott said in a press conference earlier this week that both players will be reevaluated this weekend and should be ready to suit back up, barring any unforeseen setbacks. Thankfully for the Suns, they still have Brooks on their roster, who continued his stellar play of late with the best game of his NBA career.
The former Rocket dropped a career-high 40 points, with 24 of those points coming in the first half to help propel the Suns to a comfortable 72-56 lead. Brooks is currently averaging 31 points per game over the last three games for Phoenix.
Aside from Brooks’ standout performance, the Suns also received some nice contributions from other players in Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen. Gillespie finished with 16 points while also raining in 5 threes, while Allen scored 24 points and dished out 5 assists in the win. The Suns’ offense would overall light it up from beyond the arc, as they hit 16 triples on an efficient 38% clip against the stout Pistons defense.
Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren Star For Pistons In Loss
There weren’t many positives for the Pistons tonight, as their offensive production was overall stagnant outside of a couple of valiant performances by star players in Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. Both players would combine for 49 of the Pistons’ 96 total points, with 26 points by Cunningham and 23 points by Duren. The Pistons shot 42% from the field and just 20% from three in the loss. The second unit for Detroit was also a non-factor.
It was also a disappointing game for Pistons’ backup Guard Jaden Ivey, who went scoreless in just seven minutes of playing time tonight. The former Purdue Boilermaker has struggled mightily this past month, scoring in double figures in just 3 games in January. Ivey is currently averaging 8 points on 46% shooting in 30 games played this season for the Pistons.
Current NBA Standings Following This Game
In a season that has seen quite a bit of fluctuation in the standings for both conferences, this game didn’t do much to impact either team’s current placement in their respective conference. The Pistons remain firmly in first place in the East, as they have a commanding 6-game lead over the New York Knicks for the top spot. The only downside to the loss for the Pistons is that they are no longer tied for the best record in the league.
For the Suns, they’ll stay put in the 7th-place spot out West and will have to wait for the result of the Los Angeles Lakers’ next game on Saturday to hopefully move up in the standings. The silver lining for the Suns is how tight the middle to upper part of the standings is in the West. Only four games separate the 2nd-place San Antonio Spurs and the Suns in the standings, which gives Phoenix a fighting chance at earning a higher seed.
