Game Preview: Suns begin their preseason tonight!

Who: Phoenix Suns @ Detroit Pistons

When: 4:00pm Arizona Time

Where: Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, Michigan

Watch: Suns+, KTVK, KPHE, AZFS App

Listen: ESPN Phoenix 620 AM, SiriusXM

Are you ready for lift off? The Phoenix Suns tip off their 2026–27 preseason tonight against the Detroit Pistons. It’s the first of five preseason games before the regular season begins on October 23 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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For Phoenix, it’s an opportunity to begin the position battles that will surely define this preseason and bleed into the regular season. This isn’t a team built around aging veterans competing for relevancy. The oldest player on the roster is Dillon Brooks at 30, and numerous young players will be competing for opportunities to showcase their development while continuing to grow. For them, the preseason serves as a catalyst for what they hope becomes consistent rotational minutes once the games begin to count.

On the other side are the Detroit Pistons, a team that finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference a season ago. That seeding didn’t translate into postseason success as they lost in the second round to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Detroit has made tweaks along the way in an effort to fortify the roster around its budding young star, Cade Cunningham.

Two teams on very different pathways and timelines converge to begin the preseason. And both of those journeys begin tonight.

Tale of the Tape

All of the statistics listed below are from last season.

Probable Starters

With Jalen Duren signing late, here is my best guess:

Injury Report

Suns

Mark Williams — OUT (Torn Left Labrum)

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Pistons

Jalen Duren — Game Time Decision (Undisclosed)

What to Watch For

There are numerous position battles throughout the roster, but none is more anticipated than the battle for the starting center role. After signing Mark Williams to a multiyear deal this offseason, Williams injured the labrum in his left shoulder and is expected to miss multiple months. That leaves a void and creates an opportunity for third-year center Oso Ighodaro and second-year center Khaman Maluach. Tonight is the first…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/game-preview-suns-begin-preseason-170000933.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-05 17:00:00

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