Thunder Game Day: OKC Looks to Rebound and Rebound Against Pistons

One more preseason contest stands between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the NBA regular season, and for the second time of the year, coach Mark Daigneault's squad is set to take on Detroit as it looks to finish exhibition play with a winning record.

In its last exhibition game before the 2023-24 NBA regular season tips of, theOklahoma City Thunder are set to face an already-familiar opponent at home. 

Coming off of a convincing win over the Milwaukee Bucks — who showcased their new Damian Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo duo — the Thunder now sits at an even .500, looking to end the preseason with a winning record.

To do that, it will have to face the Detroit Pistons for the second time in exhibition play. In the second game of its preseason slate, the Thunder hit the road to Montreal, Quebec to face the Pistons and give Lugeuntz Dort an almost happy homecoming. 

While Dort finished with 24 points in an elite showing, Detroit fought back in the late minutes of the game to secure a victory in Canada and hand the Thunder its first preseason loss. Now, the two are set to face again, but this time at the BOK Center in Tulsa. 

Oct 12, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes (7)) shoots and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng (13) defends during the third quarter at the Bell Centre / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

ODDS:

Entering Thursday's matchup, the Thunder is a 5.5-point favorite over Detroit. The over/under is set at 230.5, and the money line is -222 in favor of Oklahoma City.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

While the Thunder had an almost-20 point lead during its last outing against Detroit, it was the period down the stretch that ultimately sunk it. No starters in for Oklahoma City meant no floor general, and as such, Detroit not only kept up, but fought its way back. 

If OKC wants to pull out a win, it will have to establish a quick and early lead behind its starters, and keep its foot on the pedal down the stretch. Allowing the Pistons to keep up early could set the stage for a shootout in the fourth quarter, and like last game, that might not end well for the Thunder. 

Rebounding also played a large role in the Pistons' victory. As a team, they out-rebounded Oklahoma City 50-39 and shot nearly 50 percent from 3-point range, making them dangerous in multiple ways on the offense,

RECORDS:

Oklahoma City Thunder (2-2) vs. Detroit Pistons (1-1)

INJURIES:

Check out our live injury tracker, along with our game day injury report that will release later today. 

WHEN:

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 at 7:00 PM CT

LOCATION:

BOK Center - Tusla, OK

TV/RADIO:

Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal

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It's no secret that Oklahoma City has a talented core behind it. Facing the Pistons gives that squad practice against another young team, and playing them for a second time this preseason gives them a chance to exact revenge and finish exhibition play strong. A 3-2 record is much more rewarding than a 2-3 one, after all.

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