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Thunder @ Philadelphia 76ers preview (Game 72 of 82)

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (56-15, 1st in the West) @ Philadelphia 76ers (39-32, 7th in the East)
When: Monday, 23 March 2026 at 6:00pm CST
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA
TV: FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: PHI: 114.1 (15th) / OKC: 117.1 (7th)
Defensive Rating: PHI: 114.6 (16th) / OKC: 106.1 (1st)
Net Rating: PHI: -0.5 (19th) / OKC: 11.0 (1st)
Current Streaks: PHI: Winners of 4 of their last 5 / OKC: Winners of 11 straight

The Tip-Off

I don’t have a big issue with the ejections or the suspensions, if the play or player warrants it. I just want consistency throughout the punishment process. My objection to Ajay Mitchell’s suspension is “was he just supposed to take the slap to the face?” Since when did the NBA turn into a religious organization that mandates turning the other cheek when struck or being pacifists when the other team is escalating the situation? How can a player (Anthony Gill) be fined after the game, but suffer no consequences in-game? Would the NBA’s behavior czar, James Jones, be so keen on doing nothing if he got slapped in the face? Like, make it make sense, because if it doesn’t make sense, then teams will try to approach the Thunder like this in the playoffs in hopes of getting the right person suspended for a game or more.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the Thunder and Sixers. OKC won the first meeting by 25 in a game that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren combine for 56 points on 22/30 shooting from the field. The Thunder were only up by 2 at halftime and completely dominated Philly in the 2nd half.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -16
O/U: 224.5

Injury Report

OKC

Ajay Mitchell – OUT (suspension)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)

PHI

Dominick Barlowe – Questionable (ankle)
Johni Broome – OUT (knee)
Joel Embiid – OUT (oblique)
Paul George – OUT (suspension)
Quentin Grimes – Questionable (illness)
Tyrese Maxey – OUT (finger)
Kelly Oubre Jr – OUT (elbow)

Three Big Things

Welcome Back, Dub – Jalen Williams returns to the lineup after reaggravating his hamstring on February 11th. I know the Thunder would never put any of their players in danger of reinjury, but it’s still scary as OKC navigates the rest of the season in hoping that Dub is truly over his hamstring issues. We’ve seen how hamstring injuries have affected Aaron Gordon and the Denver Nuggets through their series with OKC last postseason and throughout this season. OKC has proven throughout the regular season that they can navigate the choppy waters without Dub. But the postseason is an entirely different monster and having a healthy Dub available is probably the biggest X-factor for OKC.
Jared McCain – It was only 1.5 seasons, but McCain’s impact on Philly was felt when he got traded at the deadline in February. Tyrese Maxey was feeling some sort of way when the trade happened, and Sixers GM Darryl Morey had to explain that he was “selling high” when he shipped McCain off for a 2026 Houston Rockets first and three future second round picks. After struggling with injuries for much of the past season, McCain has assimilated almost seamlessly onto the Thunder and has become a key rotational piece off the bench. His floor spacing and play-making has filled a need the Thunder were vastly seeking in this injury-plagued season. In 19 games since the trade, McCain is averaging 12.3 points on 41% shooting from deep for OKC. Supposedly, there will be a video tribute for McCain tonight, which is high praise, considering he only played 60 games for the franchise and also considering that this is Philadelphia we’re talking about. Philly sports have gone soft.
Big Man superiority – With Joel Embiid being out, the Sixers will need to rely on Adem Bona and Andre Drummond. I fully expect the Thunder’s big man trio of Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams to dominate in all aspects of post play.

Chicago Bulls vs. Thunder preview (Game 15 of 82)

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Alex Roig

Chicago Bulls (5-10) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (11-4)
When: Wednesday, 22 November 2023 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – CHI: 108.5 (27th) / OKC: 116.9 (8th)
Defensive Rating – CHI: 113.0 (16th) / OKC: 108.4 (4th)
Net Rating – CHI: -4.5 (23rd) / OKC: 8.5 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Breaks can act like momentum killers during an 82-game season. Over the past five games (since November 12th), the Thunder have been 4th in Offensive Rating, 1st in Defensive Rating, 1st in Net Rating, 2nd in Field Goal percentage, 3rd in points, 1st in 3-point FG percentage, 1st in steals and 1st in plus/minus. During that time, they had nothing more than a day off between games. Momentum can be like muscle memory to athletes. So when there is an unfamiliar amount of time off, it can throw a player’s (or team’s) mojo off.

After playing nearly every other day for the better part of a month, the Thunder now find themselves with some time between games. In the last 8 days, the Thunder played 5 games. It’s going to take them 13 days to play their next 5 games. Five days may not seem like a huge difference to you or I. But to an athlete, having that much time between games can disrupt their timing.

Season Series – OKC leads 1-0, having won 124 – 104 on 25 October 2023

Injury Report

OKC

Jalen Williams (hip) – Out

CHI

Lonzo Ball (knee) – Out
Alex Caruso (toe) – Probable
Zach Lavine (foot) – Probable
Patrick Williams (finger) – Probable

Three Big Things

Chet – It will be interesting to see the duality of how Chet played in his career opener versus how he plays in this game. In that game, Chet scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting, grabbed 4 boards, dished out 3 assists, and got a steal. But all anyone focused on was on the couple of plays where Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond used their strength to score some points against Chet. Fast-forward nearly a month later and Chet looks like an entirely different player. All the nerves have been shed and the player that was the 2nd pick in the 2022 draft is showing why he should’ve likely been drafted No. 1 in that draft.
Take Care of Business – The Bulls just aren’t a very good team. They are inefficient offensively and mid-tier defensively. But when you look at the players on the team, you know that any one of them can go off at any moment. Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan have all had 50 point games in their careers. Vucevic was once one of the premier offensive centers in the league. And guys like Alex Caruso, Jevon Carter, and Coby White can all microwave enough to become big distractions. If the Thunder can focus in and play their game, the result should be similar to the one procured in the first game of the season.
Coach Daigneault – It’s a little jarring how quickly the student has become the master. Chicago coach Billy Donovan did not want to go through a rebuild when he decided not to re-sign with the Thunder after the 2019-20 season. The Thunder signed Daigneault to take over the reins that offseason. While the results have been as expected when it comes to the rebuilding part of the equation, the bearing of fruit has come along much quicker than thought. And a lot of that success is due to the leadership under Daigneault. The Bulls have lost three straight to the Thunder over the past two seasons, including this one.

Thunder @ Pistons Preview (Game 22 of 82)

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Alex Roig

Pistons_logo_new

When: Monday, 03 December 2018 at 6:00 pm CST
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
TV: FSOK/NBATV
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
Line: OKC -2.0 | O/U: 220
Off Rating: OKC – 107.9 (17th) | DET – 108.6 (13th)
Def Rating: OKC – 101.4 (1st) | DET – 106.3 (8th)

When the regular season schedule is first released, there’s a definite curiosity to predict the win/loss record based on who you think the superior team is on a nightly basis. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, there was a feeling that the early months on the schedule would be the easier ones. But then again, this season has not necessarily gone as planned in terms of how some teams are performing. Continue reading →

Pistons vs. Thunder Preview (Preseason Game 1)

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Alex Roig

Pistons_logo_new

When: Wednesday, 03 October 2018 at 7:00 pm CST
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: None (Streamed at OKCThunder.com and the Thunder app)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
Line: -4.5 OKC

A journey has to start somewhere. And for the Oklahoma City Thunder, their journey into the 2018-19 season starts tonight. Thankfully, it’s at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in front of what should be a raucous home crowd. The Detroit Pistons come into town looking to kick-start their preseason docket of five games, and bring with them a pair of familiar faces. While Reggie Jackson will likely illicit some boos from the crowd, hometown boy Blake Griffin should receive the opposite. Continue reading →

Thunder @ Pistons preview (Game 49 of 82)

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Alex Roig

Pistons_logo_new

When: Saturday, 27 January 2018 at 4:00 pm CST
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
TV: FSOK
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
Line: OKC -3.5 | O/U – 207.5

The Set-Up: The last time the Oklahoma City Thunder had a 6-game win streak, injuries (and a bad call) brought that tumbling down. In December, the Thunder were hitting on all cylinders during a streak that saw them beat division opponents, Houston, and Toronto. Then Paul George goes out with an injury (and the refs blow an egregious call on a game-winning play) and the streak comes to an end. Continue reading →

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Detroit Pistons preview (Game 10 of 82)

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Alex Roig

When: Friday, 14 November 2014 at 7:00 PM CST
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

For the first time this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been on the high side in two of the last three games. This was the stretch that was supposed to balance out the gauntlet that was the first 6 games of the season. The Thunder have seemingly adjusted to this new normal and are starting to hit their stride. They’ve played with the same 10 players for the past 2 games, which is saying something for this season, and have some rhythm moving forward.

This is the first meeting of the year between these two teams. The Thunder swept the season series last season. They kept the Pistons at bay in their first meeting of the season (aka the Steven Adams coming out party), and then needed a furious comeback in the 4th quarter of the second meeting (which was also the last game of the regular season) to secure the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder have won the last 10 meetings against the Pistons, dating all the way back to 2009.

The Opponent

The Detroit Pistons come into the game with a 2-6 record. The Stan Van Gundy era has gotten off to a rough start as the Pistons have struggled to find their identity on offense. They are averaging 93.3 points per game, good for 25th in the league. A good SVG offense is inside/out heavy with a dominant big man surrounded by shooters. The problem with Detroit is that their big men aren’t quite dominant yet and their shooters aren’t hitting their shots consistently. Brandon Jennings and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope man the backcourt. Jennings has been surprisingly consistent this season, while Caldwell-Pope is still learning the nuances of the game. Up front, the Pistons are still trotting out the inconsistent, yet possibly terrifying trio of Greg Monroe, Josh Smith, and Andre Drummond. Smith is still inconsistent, but has shied away from taking so many 3-point attempts (going from 3.4 attempts last season to 1.5 attempts this year). Monroe has been their best player so far, averaging 17.3 point and 11 rebounds per game. The Pistons’ bench is of the more weaker ones in the league and features Caron Butler, Kyle Singler, DJ Augustin, and Jonas Jerebko.

Probable Starting Line-Ups

Detroit Pistons

PG – Brandon Jennings
SG – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF – Josh Smith
PF – Greg Monroe
C – Andre Drummond

Oklahoma City Thunder

PG – Reggie Jackson
SG – Jeremy Lamb
SF – Lance Thomas
PF – Serge Ibaka
C – Steven Adams

3 Keys to the Game

1. Zone Defense – The defense has been trotting out a zone, especially in the 2nd and 4th quarters, that has been flummoxing opponents. The zone is especially dangerous when the Thunder are trotting out 3 bigs (usually Ibaka, Nick Collison, and one of either Kendrick Perkins or Adams). With Detroit’s tendency to be streaky from the perimeter, I would look for the Thunder to deploy this defense, especially when Detroit has their 3 bigs in the game.

2. Rebounds – While Detroit appears to still be trying to figure out how best to use their three bigs, the one thing they can always do well is rebound. Between the three of them, they are averaging over 30 rebounds per game (with nearly 10 of those being on the offensive end). Detroit may miss a lot of shots from the perimeter, but they are able to buffer that by grabbing offensive boards. The Thunder may need “all hands on deck” in the rebounding department for this game.

3. Perimeter Bigs – Ibaka and Collison may benefit the offense in this game by floating around the perimeter. Taking their man away from the paint, will allow Jackson and Sebastian Telfair room to operate and attack the paint.

2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Central Division

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Alex Roig

Central Divison Preview

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Last season: 33-49 (3rd in the Central Division, 10th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

Brendan Haywood – Obtained in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets
LeBron James – Free agent signing
James Jones – Free agent signing
Kevin Love – Obtained in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves
Shawn Marion – Free agent signing
Mike Miller – Free agent signing
John Lucas III – Obtained in a trade with the Utah Jazz

Key Departures:

Anthony Bennett – Traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Andrew Wiggins – Traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Spencer Hawes – Signed with the Los Angeles Clippers
C.J. Miles – Signed with the Indiana Pacers
Tyler Zeller – Traded to the Boston Celtics
Alonzo Gee – Traded to the New Orleans Pelicans
Sergey Karasev – Traded to the Brooklyn Nets
Luol Deng – Signed with the Miami Heat

Season Preview – No other team in the league made as big of an offseason improvement as the Cavaliers. The signing of James combined with the acquisition of Love immediately elevated the Cavs from lottery bound team to championship contender. The additions of Miller and Jones will provide the Cavs with the floor spacing they need to maximize the talents of LeBron, Love, and Kyrie Irving, who just finished an MVP campaign with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup. The one thing that can derail the Cavs, besides injuries, is the lack of experience from key players. The Cavs will be putting a lot of the responsibility on four players who have never sniffed the playoffs in their careers (Irving, Love, Dion Waiters, and Tristan Thompson).

2014-15 will be successful if: The Cavs make it to the Finals. Winning the Finals would definitely be icing on the cake, but this team is looking to build experience for sustained future success in the next 5 seasons.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 58-24

2. Chicago Bulls

Last season: 48-34 (2nd in the Central Division, 4th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Washington Wizards.

Key Additions:

Aaron Brooks – Free agent signing
Pau Gasol – Free agent signing
Doug McDermott – Draft (No. 11 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Nikola Mirotic – Signed Eurostash

Key Departures:

Carlos Boozer – Amnestied; then signed by the Los Angeles Lakers
Nazr Mohammed – Currently unsigned
D.J. Augustin – Signed with the Detroit Pistons

Season Preview – The success of the Bulls rests on the health of Derrick Rose. After basically missing the last two seasons, Rose showed some of the form that made him a league MVP 3 seasons ago during the FIBA World Cup. If Rose comes anywhere close to being that type of player, the Bulls will once again be listed as a championship contending team. The addition of Gasol and Mirotic bolsters a front line that was already one of the better ones in the league. And adding a shooter like McDermott, to bookend with Dunleavy, will make this team even more formidable if Rose returns to form. This team, with a healthy Rose, has a great balance of defense and offense that will lead them far if everything clicks.

2014-15 will be successful if: Derrick Rose remains healthy and the Bulls make it to the Finals.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 57-25

3. Detroit Pistons

Last season: 29-53 (4th in the Central Divison, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

D.J. Augustin – Free agent signing
Caron Butler – Free agent signing
Aaron Gray – Free agent signing
Jodie Meeks – Free agent signing

Key Departures:

Charlie Villanueva – Signed with the Dallas Mavericks
Rodney Stuckey – Signed with the Indiana Pacers
Chauncey Billups – Retired

Season Preview – Last season, the Pistons were an inefficient bunch that relied too much on perimeter shooting from players who weren’t weren’t great at shooting. This season, new coach (and GM) Stan Van Gundy, decided to bring in some shooters to supply that need. Meeks and Butler will provide the spacing that Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe will need to operate inside. In addition, Brandon Jennings will be able to be more of a drive and dish point guard, instead of a “let it fly” point guard.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Pistons make the playoffs

Projected 2014-15 Record: 38-44

4. Indiana Pacers

Last season: 56-26 (1st in the Central Divison, 1st in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat

Key Additions:

C.J. Miles – Free agent signing
Rodney Stuckey – Free agent signing
Damjan Rudez – European free agent signing

Key Departures:

Evan Turner – Signed with the Boston Celtics
Lance Stephenson – Signed with the Charlotte Hornets

Season Preview – The story of this upcoming season for the Pacers was written on August 1st, when Paul George broke both bones in his lower right leg in a freak accident during the Blue and White scrimmage for USA Basketball. With that, and the departure of Stephenson, any chance of the Pacers contending in the Eastern Conference went out of the window. Stephenson and George were the only players on the team capable of creating their own shots. This season, the Pacers will have to rely on Roy Hibbert, David West, and CJ Miles to provide any semblance of offense. Hence why I think they’ll struggle this year.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Pacers make the playoffs

Projected 2014-15 Record: 31-51

5. Milwaukee Bucks

Last season: 15-67 (5th in the Central Division, 15th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

Jabari Parker – Draft (No. 2 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Jerryd Bayless – Free agent signing
Jared Dudley – Obtained in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers
Damien Inglis – Draft (No. 31 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Kendall Marshall – Claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Lakers

Key Departures:

Ramon Sessions – Unsigned
Ekpe Udoh – Signed with the Los Angeles Clippers
Carlos Delfino – Traded to the Los Angeles Clippers
Miroslav Raduljica – Traded to the Los Angeles Clippers

Season Preview – Much like the Philadelphia 76ers, this season will be all about development for the young core of the Bucks. The Bucks seem to have their wings of the future in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Parker. This season will be about evaluating the point guard and post positions. The Bucks will win more games this season than last because Parker and Antetokounmpo will make winning plays, but the rest of the team will need to follow their lead.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Bucks’ core shows improvement in their development and they net another Top 5 pick.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 21-61

Detroit Pistons vs. Oklahoma City Thunder preview (Game 82 of 82)

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Alex Roig

When: Wednesday, 16 April 2014 at 7:00 PM EST
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

The Oklahoma City Thunder have no one to blame but themselves for being in this position. The Thunder have had 2 opportunities to not only put the Clippers away in their chase of the No. 2 seed in the West, but also of resting their guys, namely Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. Instead, the Thunder will have to play a real game on the last game of the season in order to hang onto the 2nd seed.

This will be the 2nd and final (duh!) meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting 119-110. It was a memorable game because Thunder rookie Steven Adams had 17 points and 10 boards in only his 5th game. That would end up being, statistically, his best game of the season.

The Opponent

The Pistons come into the game with a 29-52 record. It is a season that has been mired in disappointment beginning with the firing of head coach Maurice Cheeks and culminating in the resignation of longtime GM and Pistons great Joe Dumars. The additions of Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith were supposed to get this team over the edge, but instead, these two players have been a huge part of the problem. Their lack of efficiency from the perimeter has made life that much harder for burgeoning big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. It’s a team that was not put together very well, and the effects are showing on the court.

Probable Starting Line-Ups

Detroit Pistons

PG – Brandon Jennings
SG – Rodney Stuckey
SF – Kyle Singler
PF – Greg Monroe
C – Andre Drummond

Oklahoma City Thunder

PG – Russell Westbrook
SG – Thabo Sefolosha
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Serge Ibaka
C – Kendrick Perkins

3 Keys to the Game

Perimeter Defense – Defensively, this game caters to the Thunder’s strength. Both Monroe and Drummond are post players that rarely venture further than 15 feet out. The Thunder post players (Ibaka, Perkins, Adams, and Collison) will be able to remain in their comfort zone in the paint. Where the Pistons could beat the Thunder is on the perimeter. With the inside contained, the Thunder players should stay with the shooters and defend the 3-point line.

Mind Games – The Clippers will be resting some of their players (Blake Griffin and JJ Redick), and claim they aren’t actively chasing the 2 seed. But that sounds like a psychological ploy to me. If the Thunder play lackadaisically and lose this game, you can bet the Clippers will deploy all available resources to win their game against the Blazers. Remember, the Clippers’ game starts as the Thunder game is ending. Also of note: The Blazers have nothing to play for (can’t move up/can’t move down) so they will probably be resting their players also.

3. Stay Healthy – We are playing for the second season, not this season. Stay healthy, gentlemen.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Detroit Pistons Preview (Game 5 of 82)

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Alex Roig

When – Friday, 08 November 2013 at 6:30 PM CST
Where – The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI

The Oklahoma City Thunder embark on their 3rd road game of the season against the much improved Detroit Pistons. The Thunder finally started looking like themselves in their last game against the Dallas Mavericks. They set a season high in points and assists, and showcased the young talent that has been brewing on the bench and in Tulsa for the past year.

The Thunder come into the game with a 3-1 record. They swept the season series against the Pistons last season and have won 8 straight dating back to the Thunder’s inaugural season in 2008-09.

The Opponent

The Pistons come into the game with a 2-2 record. After whiffing on free agent signees Ben Gordan and Charlie Villanueva in 2009, Pistons GM Joe Dumars aggressively pursued and signed free agent forward Josh Smith and traded for point guard Brandon Jennings. Those two moves combined with young big men Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe have a lot of people mentioning the Pistons as a dark horse playoff team. The Pistons have had their issues in trying to work Smith in as a small forward and Jennings has struggled with his 3-pt shot in the early going. Off the bench, the Pistons are led by veterans Charlie Villanueva, Kyle Singler, and Rodney Stuckey. Continue reading →