Pistons Fall To The Thunder 115-99

The Pistons are still trying to find their groove during the preseason.

I should have known that this game was not going to end well when early in the first quarter Marvin Bagley III slipped on the floor and left the game with a scary injury. However, there are some things that Pistons fans can take away from the game.

Killian Hayes Is Being Aggressive, For Real

I wrote last week about how I was impressed with Hayes against the Knicks, attempting 13 shots, but this is the game it felt like it all came together. He had 20 points, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists. Perhaps it is an OKC thing, given his career-high game against them last year, but Hayes looked confident. He started off the game by making his first four shots from the three-point line and showed some other moves in his arsenal, including a nice hook shot. I think the difference is truly his confidence. He does not seem to be afraid of the moment. He is taking the shots that he would pass up in the past. If Hayes keeps this up, the Pistons really could have something special brewing here.

Jalen Duren Crashing The Boards

Rebounds were a concern for Duren in summer league, but through his first two preseason games, it looks like it's going to be a strong suit of his. Duren has some impressive athleticism and grabs offensive rebounds with serious ease. I have not seen a Pistons big man catch rebounds with one hand in a long time. There are still some kinks to work out for him, but the raw tools are certainly there. For example, foul trouble kept him out of the first half, but there are plenty of encouraging signs for the young big man.

Lousy Start To The Second Half

Now let’s talk about the real reason the Piston’s lost this game. The first two minutes of the third quarter may have been some of the most sloppy basketball I’ve seen in quite some time — turnover after turnover. Cade Cunningham had multiple turnovers during this stretch, struggling to get the ball to Jalen Duren. Jaden Ivey had a couple of moments where he was a bit out of control, leading to easy buckets for the Thunder. The Pistons are no strangers to bad starts to the second half, as they struggled with this last year, but if this team wants to win more games, what happened against the Thunder can’t happen again.