After four days off to rest up and return closer to full health, the Detroit Pistons (28-10) are back and ready for some action at home tonight against the Phoenix Suns (24-16). Last time the Pistons played, Detroit had to make due without 60% of their usual starting lineup as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris were all sidelined due to various injuries, so the time off has been valuable for the pair of All-Star hopefuls and the veteran sharp-shooter.

Despite those injuries, the Pistons still put up a valiant fight against the Clippers last week and were in charge for most of the game before suffering a tough-to-swallow six-point loss, 98-92. Duncan Robinson rode a hot first quarter to a team-high 20 point performance versus Los Angeles, but the team as a whole stalled at a crucial moment in the fourth quarter, managing just 16 points in the final frame, as the Clippers caught up in time to close out the game. 

From a Phoenix perspective, the Suns are also comfortably above .500 in the Western Conference and boast a 3-2 record over the last five with two losses sandwiching a three-game win streak in between, just like the Pistons. And in another strange instance of parallels, the Suns last contest was a six-point loss to the Miami Heat. 

In that tough defeat, the Suns had three players score at least 24 points with Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and Grayson Allen carrying the brunt of the load from a scoring standpoint. The Suns only had two other players break double figures, though, and the lack of supporting scoring ultimately spelled a narrow loss for the Suns on the road. 

As a team, the Suns have the second most steals per game of any team in the NBA, so the Pistons will need to emphasize ball security considering Detroit struggles with turnovers at times. The Suns also rank No. 2 in the league for pull-up points per game, so Detroit should also look to move in concert with Phoenix ball handlers off the dribble tonight. 

For the first time in about two weeks, the Pistons are relatively healthy since Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart are all listed as probable to play tonight. Cunningham, on the other hand, was not included on the injury report yesterday, but Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was a bit cagey when discussing Cade’s status, deferring to a game-time decision as the final barometer. 

Switching over to the Suns, both Booker and Nigel Hayes-Davis are listed as questionable due to ankle injuries, but Phoenix forward Royce O’Neal has a probable designation after dealing with a bruise to his bicep. However, Suns guard Jamaree Bouyea has already been ruled out with a concussion and will not suit up for tonight’s game in Detroit. 

Considering the Pistons injury woes of late, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has benefited from just how deep Detroit is. Bickerstaff has known about the rebounding ability of Tolu Smith or the passing-lane vision brought to the table by Daniss Jenkins, but the rest of the NBA may not have. 

“I think it's extremely important,” Bickerstaff said. “Again, we came into this season after training camp, and we realized the depth that we had and the amount of people that we had that could impact winning. And again, to get through an 82 game season the way that you want to, you're going to have to call on everybody at some point in time, so we're fortunate again to have that depth, but it's also a competitive spirit too, right? Like now we know there's guys out there on the floor that can contribute. So now I’ve got to be better at my job when I'm out there and take advantage of my minutes because I know there's somebody else in there that we can put in, that can do the same and help us win as well. So, it drives competition, and internal competition is great as long as it never becomes personal– and that's where our team is. It's not a personal thing. It's not a me versus you thing. It's an I'm hungry, I want to get on the floor. I want to stay on the floor, but when you're out there, I got your back and you're my teammate. I think that's where we're unique. We have a bunch of guys that are great teammates, that are competitive as hell, but care about their teammates more than their own individual selves.”

Since there is no guarantee that Booker will be able to suit up due to his sprained ankle, Brooks will have a lot of responsibility on both ends of the floor tonight against Detroit. Brooks’ emergence as a reliable secondary option after Booker– or even the first option depending on the game– has opened the door for Phoenix in the West, and his defensive profile has proven difficult for opposing players to work around. The Pistons are more than capable of dealing with Brooks’ physicality, but he looks like the enigma that could act as a game-breaker for Phoenix on the road tonight. 

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