Thunder Look to Build on Denver Win with Visit from Detroit
The Thunder have finally reached the end of a grueling four-games-in-five-days stretch. Only thing keeping them from a much deserved day off is a matchup with the Detroit Pistons.
It’s incredible that NBA players have the physical (and mental) tools to be able to travel to four different cities in five nights to play four basketball games. That’s the exact situation the Thunder find themselves in Saturday night when the Detroit Pistons come to town.
On a positive note, the Pistons will also be playing in their second game in as many nights after coming off a surprising 108-97 blowout win against the Los Angeles Clippers in Detroit on Friday. The win pushed their record to 8-9 and the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference despite playing without their second-best player Reggie Jackson.
Did I really just give Jackson a compliment? Yikes I’m getting too nice for this job.
Nov 21, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson (15) reacts after losing to the Brooklyn Nets at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Nets defeated the Thunder 94-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Anyways, this game will be another chance for the Thunder to enforce their identity on a weaker opponent. Last night’s win against the Nuggets was the first time in four attempts Oklahoma City defeated a team playing without a key piece. Until overtime we only saw snippets of the pressure defense that was preached in the preseason and practiced early on.
The Pistons travel to Oklahoma City with one of the worst road records in the league, going 1-7 to start the season. They average eight less points per game, eight less rebounds per game and their shooting percentages are significantly lower as well. Simply put: Detroit sucks when they leave the wonderful state of Michigan.
OKC has now given up over 100 points in 10 straight games after starting the season with one of the better defenses in the league. Their 6-1 record was directly because of a stifling defense that didn’t allow guards to penetrate from the wing or bigs to get easy looks down low.
Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Although the effort has declined recently, one game can quickly reverse their course. The Pistons come in with the seventh lowest Offensive Rating in the league. With their road struggles mentioned above, Saturday seems to be an early make-or-break game for the Thunder.
For a team whose rebounding numbers have declined recently, Oklahoma City should be paying special attention to Pistons center Andre Drummond. OKC was ranked third in rebounding just three games ago, but now find themselves in eighth after two poor performances against Sacramento and Denver.
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Drummond didn’t play in the first matchup this season (a 104-88 Detroit win) and that does not bode well for the Thunder. He is second in the league with 13.8 rebounds per game so Steven Adams will have to be on top of his game all night. Most of Drummond’s success comes on the defensive boards, but he’s shown that he will tear up teams on the offensive glass if he goes unmarked.
Earlier in the season, the Pistons dominated a Thunder team coming off a grueling loss to Orlando the night before. OKC will be coming off another battle once again, but the playing field will be level since Detroit is as well.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 pm central at Chesepeake Energy Arena.
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