The only time the Detroit Pistons pay a visit to Oklahoma is on Friday when they’ll look to upset the Thunder. Thunder fans already had too many upsets as they held much higher hope for this team, but much of this was forgotten after last home game. The Stones have nothing to lose and have already beat expectations before, so they could be primed for another surprise.
Pistons at Thunder
Spread: Oklahoma City -8 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 204 points
The Pistons split tough back-to-back, get trounced by Cleveland
The Detroit Pistons suffered the worst home loss of the season at hand of their division rival Cleveland Cavaliers, 88-116. They were coming off a tough game in Minnesota the previous night (one that they won), and their opposition came in more motivated, resulting in a poor performance.
Luckily, this is the NBA, and a performance like the Pistons put up on Tuesday night should not linger. They are still 11-6 to start the season, and losing three of four games is good for them, helps them stay grounded and work harder. Still, there are takeaways from the previous game that shouldn’t be ignored. The Pistons lacked energy and their body language was terrible from the get-go. The Cavaliers jumped out in front with strong shooting, but Detroit players behave like there’s nothing they can do about it. Instead of digging deep on defense, they settled to shoot threes and make a comeback the easy way. It wouldn’t work. The Pistons would only start hitting threes with regularity in the garbage time, finishing the night with a 13-of-30 shooting from deep. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers opened up a 27-point lead by halftime, scoring 73 points on them. Nobody stepped up either, with the high-scoring man (Harris) scoring 11 points and only two other players scoring 10 (Jackson and Johnson). Drummond was thrown off of his game, collecting 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 turnovers. There wasn’t any punch in the bench unit either, and the deficit ballooned to as much as 39 before the third-stringers narrowed the gap a bit. The Pistons shot 44 percent from the field but only hit 7 free throws in the game. They allowed the Cavs 52.5 percent shooting and 48.5 percent on threes.
Bradley is dealing with tightness in his groin but will likely play Friday against the Thunder. Drummond also skipped a practice with some dental work done but will play too. Leuer is doubtful with an ankle injury.
Place: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Date/Time: Friday, November 24th, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports Detroit
Durant visits OKC, but the Thunder win
With two bad losses in the rearview mirror and the championship team of the Golden State Warriors lead by their former franchise player Kevin Durant coming into town, the Thunder prospects didn’t look well. Unpredictable as they come, the Thunder have put up possibly the best all-around performance of the season, defeating the odds and their foes and giving their fans something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving.
The Oklahoma City Thunder may be only 8-9 so far, but their defense has been at a playoff level for some time. They managed to shut down the free-scoring Dubs as well, holding them to just 91 points and not more than 26 points in each of the four quarters. The Thunder would surely had more wins if not for occasional mental lapses and not playing for the length of the game, so it was refreshing to see that they can pull out a complete game. Offensively, the change of fortune started with Westbrook. After a pair of terrible performances, the reigning MVP was extra-motivated to have a good game against a player he previously deferred to – Westbrook scored 34 points on 13-of-27 shooting and got 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and 6 turnovers. This time, he wouldn’t defer to anyone, but Anthony and George still got theirs, mostly bombing from downtown. Anthony scored 22 points and George had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Steven Adams continued his strong season albeit lack of touches, chiming in with 14 points and 12 boards – six on the offensive end. The Thunder controlled the glass and also had 15 steals, generating more possessions and fast break points. The Warriors never threatened, and the Thunder fans left the building ecstatic.
The Thunder have no injuries to report. This is the front end of a back-to-back set for them, having to travel to nearby Dallas after the game to play the Mavericks.
Detroit Pistons at Oklahoma City Thunder Game Trends & Prediction
Detroit is 11-5-1 against the spread, yet most of the success came early. They are slipping a bit lately, and the market caught up – they are 5-4-1 in the last ten games. The market underrated them on their away games – the Pistons are 6-2 ATS on the road. The total points don’t lean on either side (8-9), but the Pistons have been streaky – after four consecutive overs, the last four stayed below the projected line. They are 3-5 on O/U away from home.
The home side is something of a reverse compared to the above. The Thunder are 8-9 against the spread, but much more reliable in OKC, where they’ve covered six of the first eight contests. On the other hand, they are profitable on the under side, going 6-11 thus far this season, 3-5 at home.
Admi-Rank: It’s not just the marquee win over the Warriors, nor the way how they’ve done it – the OKC Thunder have been improving before, but it didn’t transfer to their results. The Pistons have hit a wall, but it was something that was expected – they were flying too high for a while.
I’m not a fan of the Thunder offensive game and the fact that it largely relies on iso-heavy solutions for low-efficiency players like Westbrook and Anthony, but you have to give them credit on the defensive end. They are athletic, and when motivated, can fly around the court. The Pistons can have serious trouble with such athleticism, as it negates Harris and Drummond advantages. Johnson will have his hands full on the perimeter, Bradley is banged up (and facing Roberson). The good news is that Jackson is primed for a big game against the former team. It’s unlikely to be enough though, and he’ll have his hands full on defense. The Pistons do stand a punching chance if the game plays out to be one with a slow pace and low percentage shooting, so they’ll probably try to slow it down.
While they might not be able to win, the Detroit Pistons would provide with no getting blown out. The Thunder don’t dominate the lesser opposition, they tend to relax easily and allow backdoor covers. This gives me the confidence to take on the Pistons +8, as it’s too large of a handicap to be handed to them. The books opening lines on the total points also left some possibility of going for double glory here, as the value on the overs isn’t impossible to reach. Keep an eye on it on the game day.
My Pick: Detroit +8 (-110)
Total: (no wager currently, minimal target over 202.5 -110)
