The Detroit Pistons could have some of their top players back in action when they host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris participated in Tuesday’s practice after missing the team’s 98-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Franchise player Cunningham sat out the last two games due to a right wrist contusion, while Duren has four consecutive games after spraining his right ankle. Cunningham isn’t listed on Wednesday’s injury report while Duren is probable.
“I hated sitting out, even though it wasn’t that long,” Duren told the Detroit News. “You never want to be the guy who is watching. It feels good to be back with the guys. It was just a good day.”
Harris has been sidelined since sustaining a left hip injury on Dec. 30. Stewart didn’t suit up against the Clippers due to an illness, one game after erupting for a career-high 31 points in a victory over Chicago. Both players are probable to play against the Suns.
That’s 60% of the starting lineup and the team’s sixth man sidelined, and those absences caught up to the Pistons on Saturday, when the Clippers staged a late rally.
“I won’t find anything negative in what these guys did (Saturday),” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “To go out and compete the way they competed, as shorthanded as they were, in order to put themselves in position to even have a chance at it down the stretch, I give them a ton of credit.”
Despite the setback, the Pistons hold the top spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re in the midst of a six-game homestand. They defeated the New York Knicks and Bulls last week to kick off the home stretch. They’ll host Phoenix, Indiana and Boston prior to their next road game.
The Suns had a three-game winning streak snapped by Miami on Tuesday, 127-121. That game began a six-game road trip for Phoenix.
Their star player, Devin Booker, rolled his left ankle during the contest but was able to return in the fourth quarter. He finished with 24 points.
Booker is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game.
Booker is averaging 25.2 points, 6.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds this season but he’s not receiving much recognition from fans. He’s 17th among Western Conference players in fan votes for the All-Star Game.
“There are some super big-market teams,” Booker said. “There are guys from different countries that have a whole country behind them. I kind of understand the process, but am I playing better than a lot of guys? For sure, but that’s not the setup.”
Teammate Grayson Allen knows how valuable Booker is to the Suns, who are a surprising 24-16 through 40 games. They’ll hit the midway point of the season on Thursday.
“Definitely doesn’t match up with his body of work and what he’s done this season,” Allen said of the All-Star voting. “It’s a little surprising from that standpoint, but that’s the fan voting. I’m a little surprised he’s that low. It’s not based on his performance that’s for sure.”
Wing player Dillon Brooks is in danger of receiving a league suspension. He picked up his league-high 14th technical of the season in Miami. Two more technicals would trigger an automatic one-game suspension.
This will be the first of two matchups between Phoenix and Detroit. The Suns will host the Pistons on Jan. 29.
