Detroit showed who was the better team tonight with a convincing 98-84 win over Phoenix. Although not exactly a blowout, Detroit coach David Smith and his players outplayed Phoenix from start to end. "I was hoping for a better outcome," said Phoenix coach Bob during a post-game interview. "But they just overpowered us, and there was nothing we could do to adjust. David Smith's team was more talented and better-prepared, and it would have taken quite a bit of luck for us to overcome that."

The loss was tough on Phoenix fans, who had expected great things from their team after some offseason moves. "I think reality is starting to sink in," said one team. "We didn't expect to see other teams outplaying us this badly, but Detroit sure made their point."

Detroit was led by Henderson (15 points, 15 boards, 4 assists), Kay (26 points, 1 assists), Price (9 points, 2 steals). Phoenix was led by Dupree (17 points, 15 boards, 0 assists, a block), Celaya (19 points, 2 steals, 4 blocks), Hunt (6 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, a block).

Detroit are still perfect and stand at 16-0. They remain at #1 in the Central and remain at #1 overall in the Eastern Conference. With today's loss, Phoenix fall to 11-5 and 9-4 at home. They stay at #2 in the Pacific and stay at #4 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Detroit* roster Phoenix roster