Thunder Lose Road Battle With Detroit Pistons, 112-103

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Detroit Pistons despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 33 points and the Thunder's defense finding success.

Oklahoma City squared off with their eastern conference counterparts, the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena to mark the tenth game played on their schedule. The Thunder would lose their sixth game of the season, 103-112, despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring an efficient 33 and despite holding the Pistons to 41.9% shooting.

In a back-and-forth first quarter, the Thunder struggled to open the game. Both Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort picked up two quick fouls and the team would commit nine total, a byproduct of the defense looking to make plays, and they did.

Oklahoma City racked up four steals and three blocks thanks to some defensive playmaking from Gilgeous-Alexander and those mentioned above.

The Thunder’s star guard, Gilgeous-Alexander was able to outshine the Pistons offensively to the tune of 16 points in the first quarter and would push the Thunder ahead 33-28 to close out the first frame.

Oklahoma City kicked off the second frame with some hot offense and stellar defense led by the shotmaking of Tre Mann, and the energy and effort of Darius Bazley and Kenrich Williams. That effort* led to the Thunder opening up a 12-point lead over the Pistons before Gilgeous-Alexander would check back in at about the five-minute mark.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder continued their hot stretch due to excellent ball movement and great defensive play, preventing the Pistons from closing the gap.

The Thunder’s defense held the Pistons to 16-of-41 shooting from the field, 2-of-13 shooting from behind the 3-point line, and just 20 points in the second frame, giving Oklahoma City a 63-48 lead heading into halftime.

The third frame saw the Pistons come out of the break firing on all cylinders, going on a quick 10-to-2 run while the Thunder’s offense fell flat, prompting a full timeout, courtesy of Mark Daigneault.

Despite the timeout, the Pistons would continue to chip away at the Thunder’s lead behind a quick-hitting offense and an Isaiah Stewart 3-pointer would tie the game up 69-69, prompting another Oklahoma City timeout.

Detroit continued to find their own offense afterward as both Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham's 3-pointers would push the Pistons’ lead to 77-71 before rare offense from Darius Bazley a shooting foul on Gilgeous-Alexander would keep things close.

The Thunder would fight their way back into the lead after a disappointing 22-point third quarter, heading into the fourth with a one-point advantage, 85-84.

Without Gilgeous-Alexander on the floor, Oklahoma City’s second unit struggled to hang with the Pistons to start the fourth quarter. And Detroit’s experience proved advantageous as they were able to find yet another 10-2 run to build an early 96-84 lead, giving cause for Gilgeous-Alexander to return to the court.

Mike Muscala played the role of the unlikely hero, finding three buckets to give the Thunder a much-needed offensive boost and closing the gap, 99-102. But the Thunder wouldn’t be able to find enough offense to overcome the Pistons.

Oklahoma City failed to take advantage of their opportunities late in the fourth and Detroit would hold on to win, 112-103.

The Thunder will head back to Oklahoma City to face the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time this year on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. CST.

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