PHOENIX — Grand Rapids native Devin Booker did his part to try and hand his home state Detroit Pistons a victory.

Midway through the opening period, the superstar guard picked up two technical fouls in succession and was ejected, drawing boos from the home crowd.

The Phoenix Suns were already without Bradley Beal, who has a hamstring injury. No matter — they only needed Kevin Durant and a cadre of role players to dominate the rest of the game.

The Pistons were blown out by the Suns, 116-100, at Footprint Arena on Wednesday night thanks to a game-shifting 26-2 run that occurred after Monty Williams went with an all-bench lineup at the end of the first quarter. That group — Marcus Sasser, James Wiseman and newcomers Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr. and Evan Fournier — was outscored, 14-2, through the end of the quarter against a Suns lineup still featuring Durant, who scored six points during the run.

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Phoenix remained hot even as Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren reentered the game, opening the second quarter with a 12-0 run that was snapped by a Simone Fontecchio 3-pointer with 8:28 remaining until halftime, cutting Phoenix's lead to 48-28. The deficit grew as large as 35 multiple times, the first being when Durant opened the second half with a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 76-41.

The game was overshadowed by a pregame report by The Athletic, later confirmed by the Free Press, that Isaiah Stewart — who missed Wednesday’s game and previous last eight games with an ankle sprain – punched Suns big man Drew Eubanks near the loading dock at the arena hours before the opening tip. 

After opening a five-game west coast swing with back-to-back wins over the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers, the Pistons dropped the final three games. Team owner Tom Gores was present courtside for all three losses.

The Pistons’ season will resume on Feb. 22, when they fly to Indiana to face the Pacers after All-Star break. Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren will participate in Friday’s Rising Stars game, which will also take place in Indianapolis.

Stewart incident casts shadow over game

It isn’t clear what led to the altercation between Stewart and Eubanks, but the Pistons confirmed the incident with a statement released before halftime. No disciplinary action had been determined for Stewart by the time the game ended, but it seems likely that the fourth-year big man is facing a suspension.

“We are aware of the incident between Isaiah Stewart and Drew Eubanks prior to this evening’s game,” the statement read. “We are in the process of gathering information about what happened and what provoked it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities.”

It’s the second time Stewart has been involved in a physical altercation, following his viral incident with LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22. He was set to return from his ankle sprain after All-Star break, but the Pistons are preparing to be without him for a longer span of time.

Williams expresses gratitude in return to Phoenix

Detroit’s new head coach was in a reflective mood before the game. Williams’ previous stop was with the Suns, and he led the franchise to its first Finals appearance in 2021 a season after being hired in 2021. Williams was dismissed after the Suns’ second-consecutive conference semifinals exit last May.

The Suns honored Williams with a video tribute video before the game.

“I just think about how blessed I was to coach here in this city, coach this team, and all that stuff that happened here was a huge treat for me and my family,” Williams said pregame. “I just have a great sense of gratitude, then there is the competitiveness that comes out. I woke up and did my study time, then got right to work. It is just the range of emotions, I was blessed to be here and just thankful for the opportunity that I and the staff with me got here in this city with this organization.”

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

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Next up: Pacers

Matchup: Pistons (8-46) at Indiana (31-25).

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Feb. 22; Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis.

TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons limp into All-Star break after 116-100 loss at Suns