Kevin Durant was excited when the Suns traded for Nick Richards, and explained why during Thursday's shootaround.

Kevin Durant scored 30 of his 36 points in the second half and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Detroit Pistons 125-121 on Saturday. Devin Booker scored 35 points, his fifth consecutive 30-point outing,

Richards - coupled with rookie stud Oso Ighodaro - will inject a very pointed surge of athleticism into the Suns' lineup. Last season Nick Richards had more dunks (120) than Nurkic and Plumlee combined (100) in 1000 fewer minutes.

Kevin Durant scored 30 of his 36 points in the second half, Devin Booker supplied 35 points and the Phoenix Suns defeated the host Detroit Pistons 125-121 on Saturday.

Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 21 points, while Cade Cunningham added 20 points and 11 assists. Cunningham, Detroit's All-Star candidate, shot 7 for 26 from the field. Jalen Duren finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Malik Beasley scored 14 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Marcus Sasser each had 11.

This game marked the Suns debut for Nick Richards after he was acquired from the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Richards came off the bench and made a huge impact with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, 11 rebounds and was a team-high plus-22 in 30 minutes.

The Suns made a move to acquire Nick Richards from the Hornets, but some people are more skeptical of the move than expected.

Suns 125, Pistons 121. Kevin Durant (36 points) got going in the second half, and he and Devin Booker (35 points) iced the game late in the 4th. Pistons fall to 21-21

Much like his fans, Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant is excited for the acquisition of seven-foot center Nick Richards from the Charlotte Hornets. “He’s a strong presence in the paint,” Durant told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

"To steal a page from the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix would receive back its own 2025 and 2027 first-round picks. Those two picks were initially traded to Brooklyn when Durant joined Phoenix two years ago, and then again traded to Houston this past summer. The 2025 pick would be projected to land in the lottery.

Get to know new Phoenix Suns center Nick Richards and what his potential role with the NBA team could be after his trade from the Charlotte Hornets.