All season long, the Phoenix Suns have been playing way above expectations, and that continued on Thursday night in a huge clash against the Detroit Pistons. Despite being without Devin Booker, who had to miss the game with the ankle injury he sustained in their 127-121 loss to the Miami Heat, the Suns led for much of the night against a Pistons team that recently welcomed back key cogs such as Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
However, the game got away from the Suns in the end yet again much like it did for them on Tuesday in their loss to the Heat. And some of that may have to do with the physicality that the referees allowed the Pistons to play with. After their 108-105 loss to the Pistons on Thursday, Suns head coach Jordan Ott called out the officiating, even comparing it to a sport where intense physicality isn't just allowed, it's encouraged.
“In the fourth quarter, it became football. The free throws hurt us,” Ott said, per Duane Rankin of AZ Central.
"In the 4th quarter, it became football. The free throws hurt us."
Jordan Ott after Detroit attempted 14 FTs (made 6) in 4th and Phoenix didn't get a FTA in 108-105 loss.
PFs: Detroit 1. Phoenix 9. Pistons lead NBA in most personal fouls per game at 22.6.
"I looked up and… pic.twitter.com/zmP0FIcqTz
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 16, 2026
The Pistons shot 14 free throws in the fourth, although six of those attempts came off of take fouls from the Suns in their attempt to chase the game. Meanwhile, Phoenix shot none, and the physicality short-circuited their offense to the point where they only scored 15 in the final frame.
“I looked up and their first foul was like 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. We'll have to take a look,” Ott added.
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Suns might be the best-coached team in the NBA
Phoenix Suns Head Coach Jordan Ott and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) talk in the first half of the game at Mortgage Match Up Center.
© Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
The Suns do not have the most talented roster in the league, but they might be the most locked-in every night under Ott's watch. Nonetheless, while this defeat is painful, the Suns head coach is not using the free-throw disparity as an excuse for their loss.
“I know how hard we play and how hard they play and I know the stats. I know the stats where they've been all season. We don't any excuses. We play these guys again soon. It's going to be the same dogfight and that's where we'll get better. We'll keep continuing to get better,” Ott added.
The Suns play the Pistons for the final time this season on the 29th of January at 9:00 AM E.T.