How the Detroit Pistons Fell to the Phoenix Suns in Thursday Night Loss

The Detroit Pistons hit a rare hurdle in a 114-96 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. Jalen Duren, a consistent anchor for a highly-ranked Pistons squad, proved once again to be a bright spot for Detroit with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks used an impressive first half to lead the Suns with a career-high 40 points. The 9-year veteran would log his third game in a row with 25 points or more and his 14th of the season as he poured on 24 points by the first half's end.

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks — Jan 29, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Brooks took point early for the Suns as he scored their first seven points. Guard Cade Cunningham and Detroit's frontcourt fought back as they earned solid looks from close range to pair with a Cunningham 3-pointer. Phoenix started to get hot from outside as it knocked down its first four 3-point attempts, which put the Pistons in a tight spot early on even after they sank six of their first eight shots.

While a level head and consistent play from Duren was enough to keep things steady for the Pistons, Phoenix ended the first quarter with 35 points as it seemed to forget how to miss until it started to level off by quarter's end.

The game would slip out of the Pistons' reach as they couldn't counter a short barrage from Phoenix on offense led by two strikes from both corners. A cold quarter saw Detroit left in the dust even as the Suns' engine stalled with a short-term cold spell.

A coast-to-coast slam from Cunningham highlighted a second-half surge that saw the Pistons flip the script with a string of steals and shots from its starting five. While they came within just a few points of overtaking Phoenix for the lead, a frustrating set of makes all but extinguished a miracle comeback for the Pistons.

The Suns would finish the matchup with 16 makes on 42 tries from the 3-point line, which put them just ahead of their season average of just over 36% from long range.

While the Pistons fought hard to respond from the 3-point line, they would sink just six of their own 29 attempts as they continued to be spotty from beyond the arc. Suns guard Grayson Allen, who dropped 33 points as the Pistons defeated the Suns earlier this month, paired with his backcourt partner in Collin Gillespie and Brooks to account for just over 81% of Phoenix's long-range scores, which included their six makes in the first quarter.

The Pistons will head straight to San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors, who sit a few games behind the Suns in eighth place in the Western Conference.

The Warriors are 2-3 in their last five games, but earned a key victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves last Sunday. Their most recent win over the Utah Jazz saw Stephen Curry, a Western Conference starter in the upcoming All-Star game, drop a game-high 27 points to pair with 26 from Warriors wing Moses Moody. While they have yet to face Golden State this season, the Pistons sport an East-high 70.6% win percentage over Western Conference opponents going into the matchup.

The Pistons will face the Warriors at 10 p.m. EST on Friday in the Chase Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and FanDuel Sports Network - Detroit.