Five Score in Double Figures for OKC as Thunder Top Pistons
In Oklahoma City’s fifth preseason game, the Thunder defeated the Detroit Pistons 115-99 in Detroit on Tuesday evening.
Second-year guard Josh Giddey led the way offensively for OKC, tallying 16 points, nine assists and five rebounds in addition to sinking four shots from 3-point range.
The Thunder warmed up with all 12 players at the 3-point line, getting off practice shots from downtown. This seemed to prepare the Thunder for a 3-point barrage out of the gate, as the team fired off 10 shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter, including all of OKC’s first four made field goals.
Two of these makes came from Giddey, who opened the contest with eight points, five rebounds and four assists. Despite Oklahoma City’s aggression on offense, the Thunder trailed 32-28 after a back-and-forth first quarter.
Killian Hayes and the Pistons continued to heat up in the second quarter behind their own impressive streak from behind the line. Hayes knocked down multiple triples in addition to penetrating the interior of OKC’s defense and dishing out to open shooters at the 3-point line.
The Thunder looked rushed trying to keep pace with the Pistons in the second frame, forcing contested shots, turning the ball over and committing unnecessary fouls. Despite their struggles, a 9-2 run late in the quarter aided by 3-pointers from Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Jalen Williams kept the Thunder in contention going into halftime.
After a sloppy start to the second half, three consecutive steals from Oklahoma City gifted the Thunder an early third quarter lead. Leading the charge was Giddey, who left his mark again in the third. The 20-year-old Australian connected on multiple timely 3-pointers, snatched rebounds off the rim and distributed the ball around the floor to give OKC its largest lead of the game.
Defensively, Oklahoma City showed improvement coming out of the break, holding the Pistons to 4-of-16 from the field to start the period. Heading into the final quarter, the Thunder held an 82-74 advantage over Detroit.
3-pointers continued to rain in the fourth quarter, three coming from rookie wing Ousmane Dieng. Forward Aleksej Pokusevski also helped OKC open the final frame on a high note, converting two drives to the paint into baskets.
This was the precursor to a dominant fourth quarter from the Thunder, who outscored the Pistons 33-25 to close out the game. Despite a well-earned win, there are still major areas of concern from OKC, who turned the ball over 18 times.
While a strong shooting night helped Oklahoma City overcome these struggles, the Thunder will need to be more careful with the ball moving forward. Additionally, OKC had issues playing defense and rebounding in the paint against Detroit, and will have to hold up better down low to compete in the regular season.
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