{"id":570531,"date":"2026-01-30T10:30:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T10:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/570531\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:30:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T10:30:51","slug":"3-point-woes-burn-pistons-again-in-blowout-loss-to-suns-in-phoenix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/570531\/","title":{"rendered":"3-point woes burn Pistons again in blowout loss to Suns in Phoenix"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 A poor night from beyond the arc, and a big night by Dillon Brooks, doomed the Detroit Pistons <\/a>on the road.<\/p>\n

They were blown out by the Phoenix Suns<\/a>, 114-96, on Thursday, Jan. 29. Brooks, in his first season with the Suns after an offseason trade from Memphis, went off for 40 points while shooting 59.1%. The Pistons made him look even better while struggling from 3: Tobias Harris hit three of four tries from the arc, while his teammates hit just three of 25.<\/p>\n

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Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 23 points and seven assists, and Jalen Duren added 23 points and 13 rebounds. Grayson Allen added 24 points for the Suns.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n

ALL-STAR CASE: Jalen Duren makes All-Star case with Detroit Pistons: ‘He’s dominated’<\/a><\/p>\n

The Pistons couldn\u2019t slow Brooks or the Suns\u2019 offense in the first half, allowing them to shoot 55.8%. They trailed by 16 at halftime, 72-56, and trailed in 3-point shooting (47.4% to 26.7%) and second-chance points (15-6). <\/p>\n

Momentum shifted in the Pistons\u2019 favor in the second half, initially. They opened the third quarter with an 18-5 run to cut the deficit to three, 77-74, at the 7:13 mark. But the Suns answered with a 16-3 run to extend their lead back to 16 with 1:54 on the clock. Brooks capped the run with a pair of free throws, giving him 38 points.<\/p>\n

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The Pistons got back within single digits with a 10-3 run to open the fourth period. But they couldn\u2019t find a groove offensively despite stepping up defensively, holding the Suns to 36.8% overall in the third quarter. A corner 3-pointer from Royce O\u2019Neale pushed their lead to 14, 103-89 , midway through the fourth.<\/p>\n

The loss dropped the Pistons (34-12) to a mere 5\u00bd games up on the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference, while the Cleveland Cavaliers gained half a game as well, to make it a 6\u00bd-point Detroit lead in the Central Division. The Pistons won’t have much time to dwell on this one; they’re off to San Francisco to wrap up their three-game Western Conference jaunt against the Golden State Warriors on Friday (10 p.m., ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit).<\/p>\n

Shooting woes continue for Pistons<\/p>\n

Phoenix has multiple dangerous shooters in its lineup, including Allen and Colin Gillespie. The Pistons couldn\u2019t keep up as the Suns raced ahead in the 3-point battle early.<\/p>\n

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The Suns knocked down five of their first seven attempts from deep and had a substantial advantage by halftime, going 9-for-19 against the Pistons\u2019 4-for-15. Detroit was even worse in the second half, shooting 2-for-14 (14.3%) from deep.<\/p>\n

Outside shooting has been a weakness for the Pistons this season, and particularly in the past week. They defeated the Denver Nuggets on the road Wednesday, 109-107, despite shooting 6-for-31 (19.4%) from 3 as a team. Against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 23, they shot just 7-for-32 (21.9%).<\/p>\n

Including their 20.7%% 3-point clip against the Suns, the Pistons have now suffered three of their six worst performances from the arc in their last four games.<\/p>\n

MUST WATCH:\u00a0Make\u00a0“The Pistons Pulse”<\/a>\u00a0your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple<\/a>,\u00a0Spotify<\/a>) ]\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X\u00a0@omarisankofa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons eclipsed by Phoenix Suns, 114-96<\/a><\/p>\n