Facing the Detroit Pistons, who have shown significant improvement this season, the Phoenix Suns found themselves in a tough battle when they traveled to the Motor City. Fortunately for the Suns, Bradley Beal was absent, allowing their remaining two superstars, Kevin Durant and Beal, to stabilize the situation and secure a narrow victory for the Suns on the road.
After the game, the Suns had four reasons to celebrate. Firstly, their new frontcourt addition, Nick Richards, set a record. He recently joined the Suns, and coincidentally, his last game representing the Hornets was against the Suns. In this match, Nick Richards came off the bench to score 21 points and grab 11 rebounds, achieving a double-double. His plus-minus led the team, and during his time on the court, the Suns outscored the Pistons by 22 points. It's clear that Nick Richards' debut performance was nothing short of perfect, even becoming the first player in Suns history to score 20+10 in his first appearance for the team.
Let's discuss the other two pieces of good news together. From this game, it's evident that the Suns have improved in two areas where they were previously lacking. Firstly, regardless of wins or losses in the past, the Suns' offense was often chaotic, leading to various inexplicable turnovers. However, in this game, there was a noticeable improvement; the Suns only had 9 turnovers as a team, with no player committing more than two turnovers. As the saying goes, "the devil is in the details," and the Suns certainly paid attention to these details.
Secondly, although the Suns conceded 121 points, there was an improvement in their defense. With the fast pace of the league today, conceding many points isn't necessarily a big issue. However, the Suns' defense in this game was quite effective, limiting the Pistons to a low three-point shooting percentage of 27.3%. Moreover, the Pistons' core player, Cade Cunningham, had a subpar performance. Besides scoring 20 points and dishing out 11 assists, he also made 4 turnovers, which is significantly below his average. Additionally, his connection with his teammates was completely severed.
Lastly, the Suns have won five out of their last six games, which has allowed them to tie their record with the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings, despite still ranking 11th in the Western Conference. Looking at the Suns' upcoming schedule, they will first face the top-ranked Cleveland Cavaliers, followed by what could be considered easy victories against the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards. However, the multiple positioning battles that follow could determine the Suns' trajectory.