The Oklahoma City Thunder head to The Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Pistons. The game starts at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 29 and will air on FD+ and FxK.
The Pistons were beaten by the Hawks 112-95 on Saturday. Andre Drummond recorded 19 points and 17 rebounds, earning his 61st double-double of the year. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 119-100 win over the Raptors on Monday. They were led by Russell Westbrook who recorded his 16th triple-double of the season. He rose to the occasion with 26 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Drummond has been playing at a high level for the Pistons. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first game 103-87. Kevin Durant played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 34 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pistons look to build on their records of 39-35 Straight Up (SU) and 37-34-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Over their past 10 games, Detroit’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 111.9 points per game, well over their season average of 102.4. As for the Detroit defense, teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Pistons, who have allowed only 7.0 three-pointers to opponents per game.
On the other side, Oklahoma City has a SU record of 52-22 and an ATS record of 32-39-3. When traveling to play against teams in the Eastern Conference, Oklahoma City has a record of SU, but only 13-21-1 ATS. The Thunder are shooting lights out so far, with a .478 field-goal percentage that ranks third in the NBA. The Thunder are a terror on the defensive glass, averaging an impressive 35.6 defensive rebounds per game.
The Thunder’s win over Detroit in their last clash moved their SU record in the last 10 against Detroit to 9-1. However, with a 6-4 record, the Pistons have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC
Notes
“Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit’s last 7 games “.
“Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Detroit’s last 9 games at home”.
“Detroit is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Oklahoma City”.
“Detroit is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games when playing Oklahoma City”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 6 games when playing Oklahoma City”.
“Detroit is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 6 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit”.
Detroit has allowed an average of 101.7 points per game this season. Oklahoma City averages 110.3 points per game, ranking the team second in scoring.
Detroit has allowed an average of 100.7 points per home game this season. Oklahoma City averages 111.6 points per away game, placing the team second in scoring.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Pistons are 24-9 on the season. When the Thunder score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 3-11.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pistons are just 15-26 this season. Oklahoma City is a superb 49-11 when it hits the century mark.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 103.9 (ranked 15th). The Thunder rank 11th for their defensive rating of 103.2.
With 98.5 possessions and 1.039 points per possession, the Detroit Pistons perform worse on both metrics than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City averages 99.8 possessions and 1.106 points per possession.
Oklahoma City is the third-ranked team in the NBA in average effective field goal percentage at 52.5%. Detroit is 10-14 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Oklahoma City Thunder make 23.0 assists per game and the Detroit Pistons make 19.5. Oklahoma City is ranked ninth, while Detroit is ranked 27th.
Oklahoma City, the fourth-ranked team in terms of blocking, makes an average of 6.0 blocks per game. Detroit ranks lower at 30th with 3.6.
Oklahoma City ranks among the best in the league in defensive rebounding at third, while Detroit ranks second in offensive rebounds.
On average, Detroit makes 7.0 steals per game. Oklahoma City has a solid 38-18 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
