AP PhotoAllen Iverson is averaging 21.8 points per game over the Pistons' last four games.

PHOENIX -- When a major change is made, rarely is there a flawless transition.

The Detroit Pistons know this all too well. Ever since Allen Iverson arrived in Detroit, the team has had to work through the ups and downs of the trade, as well as incorporate a new face into its lineup.

"It's a work in progress," said Joe Dumars, Detroit's president of basketball operations. "Ten days, two weeks, it's really not enough time to make a full evaluation. But we do like the direction we're headed."

AP PhotoDetroit's Richard Hamilton drives against Phoenix's Raja Bell on Sunday night. Hamilton led the Pistons with 19 points.

PHOENIX -- It was the last game on a long West Coast trip, the kind of game most teams struggle to stay competitive in, let alone win.

The Detroit Pistons fell short on both fronts Sunday, as an undermanned Phoenix squad became even more short-handed in the second quarter but still had more than enough fire power to blow out Detroit, 104-86.

The loss prevented the Pistons (7-3) from returning home with a four-game sweep, which would have been the second time in three seasons that they won every game during a West Coast trip.

AP PhotoSuns coach Terry Porter, right, argues with referee Ken Mauer, left, after Shaquille O'Neal was ejected for flagrant foul against Detroit's Rodney Stuckey.

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns already have had a pair of starters suspended this season for on-the-court conduct. Could Shaquille O'Neal be next?

O'Neal was ejected with 5:19 remaining in the second quarter of Phoenix's 106-84 win against Detroit on Sunday after being called for a flagrant 2 foul (an automatic ejection) when he collided with Detroit's Rodney Stuckey, who was driving to the basket.

Stuckey narrowly avoided landing on his face by using his arms to brace his fall. Stuckey said afterward that his wrists were sore, but other than that he was feeling OK.

PHOENIX -- Some of Terry Porter's fondest memories as a Pistons assistant were of Rasheed Wallace working with the team's younger players.

Porter did many of the same things near the end of his playing career, which to some degree, helped cement in Porter's mind the idea of someday being a head coach.

AP PhotoDetroit's Rasheed Wallace is averaging 36.1 minutes per game.

PHOENIX -- When it comes to running drills in practice, you'll find Rasheed Wallace somewhere near the end of the pack.

"Saving my strength," he said recently. "That's all."

He certainly has needed to this season.

The 34-year-old comes into tonight's game averaging 36.1 minutes per game, the most he has averaged since becoming a Piston in 2004.

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AP PhotoPistons guard Allen Iverson, center, drives between Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, left and Los Angeles Lakers forward Trevor Ariza, right, in first half on Friday.

LOS ANGELES --The Detroit Pistons weren't perfect Friday, but their performance against the Los Angeles Lakers was as close to being a complete game as this group has played all season.

And the timing could not have been better, as the Pistons handed the Lakers their first loss of the season, 106-95. Lakers guard and reigning league MVP Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, but he needed 30 shots.

Meanwhile, Detroit (7-2) got contributions from several players and all five starters scored in double figures -- a first for Detroit this season.

LOS ANGELES -- The Detroit Pistons have to improve several areas of their game, especially their once-stingy defense that has been a bit too generous to opponents lately.

Point guards have been especially tough on Detroit this season.

After their first eight games, starting point guards averaged 17.1 points per game against Detroit. That's more than any other position against the Pistons this season.

LOS ANGELES -- Every year, there's usually a game or two that helps define a team and how their season will play out.

The Detroit Pistons don't see tonight's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers as a do-or-die game, but they recognize it does have the potential to springboard them to greater success from this point forward.

AP PhotoDetroit's Richard Hamilton drives on Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike on Thursday night. Hamilton led the Pistons with 24 points.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Once again, the Detroit Pistons had problems defending pick-and-roll plays and limiting dribble penetration.

But when the game was on the line, all those defensive breakdowns were replaced by defensive stops.

The Pistons needed a bunch of them Thursday, as they rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat Golden State, 107-102.