Derrick Rose poured in 31 points as the visiting Detroit Pistons snapped a seven-game losing streak by edging the Phoenix Suns 113-111 on Friday.
Detroit hadn't won since February 5, at home against, coincidentally, Phoenix. Christian Wood supplied 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Brandon Knight contributed 19 points off the bench. Svi Mykhailiuk tossed in 13 points and made four assists.
Phoenix leads the charge
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 26 points, six rebounds and six assists, while DeAndre Ayton had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ricky Rubio contributed 16 points, 13 assists and six rebounds, and Mikal Bridges added 13 points and five assists. The Suns were clinging to a 53-52 lead at halftime. Booker gave his club a five-point lead, 63-58, when he stole an inbounds pass and went coast to coast for a layup.
The Suns maintained a slim lead most of the quarter but couldn't pull away, as Rose kept the Pistons close. Detroit finally regained the lead when Wood fed Sekou Doumbouya for a layup to make it 73-72 with 3:43 left in the third. Wood's 3-pointer from the top of the key later in the quarter nudged Detroit's lead to four points. The Pistons took an 84-79 lead into the fourth quarter. Rose opened the final frame with a 3-pointer. Langston Galloway's corner three with 8:54 remaining gave Detroit a 94-84 lead.
Rose unstoppable
Knight's 3-pointer off a Mykhailiuk feed kept the advantage at 10 with 5:29 to go. A Wood free throw with 4:14 left nudged the lead to 12. Bridges' three-point play cut Detroit's lead to 106-98 with three minutes left.
Cameron Johnson soon drained a 3-pointer, and Booker made a layup to pull Phoenix within two, 109-107, with one minute left. Rose scored in the lane to give his team some breathing room, but Rubio came back with a layup.
Rose fought his way into the lane and scored again with 9.6 seconds left. Booker hit a long two-pointer with two seconds to go. Ayton stole the inbounds pass, giving the Suns a final chance, but Booker missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
