Tag Archives: Ausar Thompson

Detroit Pistons vs. Thunder preview (Game 76 of 82)

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  • Detroit Pistons (54-20, 1st in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (59-16, 1st in the West)
  • When: Monday, 30 March 2026 at 8:30pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: Peacock/NBCSN
  • Offensive Rating: DET: 117.0 (9th) / OKC: 117.3 (7th)
  • Defensive Rating: DET: 108.7 (2nd) / OKC: 106.3 (1st)
  • Net Rating: DET: 8.3 (3rd) / OKC: 11.0 (1st)
  • Current Streaks: DET: Winners of 2 in a row and 9 of their last 11 games / OKC: Winners of 2 in a row and 14 of their last 15 games
  • Magic Number (to clinch the No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs): 6

The Tip-Off

The end of season grind for playoff teams can be a balancing act of roster shuffling and getting real game-time reps in preparation for the postseason. Oklahoma City finds itself firmly entrenched in one of the top two positions in the West. But it also has to find games where it can play it’s normal starting unit, which has only seen about 8 games of action all season long. Finding time to catch a rhythm with the likes of Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Hartenstein, while also looking out for their health is the teeter totter of all teeter totters. If the Thunder can get all their players to the postseason healthy and in rhythm, great. If they can’t, then the real struggle begins.

This is the second and final meeting of the regular season between the Thunder and Pistons. Detroit won the first meeting 124-116 in a game that saw the Thunder without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Hartenstein. In that game, four Thunder players scored at least 20 points, with Jaylin Williams leading the way with a career high 30 points.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -12.5
  • O/U: 218.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf injury management)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring injury management)

DET

  • Cade Cunningham – OUT (chest/lung)
  • Jalen Duren – OUT (knee)
  • Tobias Harris – OUT (hip)
  • Duncan Robinson – OUT (hip)
  • Isaiah Stewart – OUT (calf)

Three Big Things

  1. Trap-Game Potential – Detroit is down five of their top 8 rotation players. That doesn’t mean that the Pistons won’t fight. Just like the Thunder gave the Pistons a run for their money in Detroit while missing many of their top rotational players, the Pistons can do the same if the Thunder aren’t on their A-game.
  2. SGA slump? – Over the past 2 games, SGA has shot 16/42 from the floor (38%), 1/13 from deep (8%), and has missed three free throws in each of those games. For a player who is famed for his efficiency, this is a slump of biblical proportions. For context though, the previous five games before this two-game run, SGA had shooting splits of 66% from the field and 53% from deep, while averaging 31 points per game. So it could be nothing. Or, it could be everything. I’m hoping it’s just a blip on the radar and not something like a lingering injury. Ausar Thompson, one of the best defenders in the league, will be hounding SGA all night tonight.
  3. Daniss Jenkins – Over the past 5 games, Jenkins has been averaging 20.6 points and nearly 8 assists per game. He has been the catalyst that has helped Detroit remain afloat since the injury to Cade Cunningham. He’ll be missing a huge chunk of his supporting cast tonight, but he has shown the ability to take over games and leave his imprint on the floor.

 

Detroit Pistons vs. Thunder preview (Game 4 of 82)

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  • Detroit Pistons (2-1) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (2-1)
  • When: Monday, 30 October 2023 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – Detroit: 111.8 (11th) / OKC: 108.3 (17th)
  • Defensive Rating – Detroit: 102.7 (6th) / OKC: 112.7 (19th)
  • Net Rating – Detroit: 9.1 (6th) / OKC: -4.4 (20th)

The Set-Up

Humble Pie. They say it’s good for you from time to time, but honestly, it tastes like shit. Sometimes the taste lingers for days. Luckily for the Thunder, they get to cleanse their palette of that disgusting Denver game with another game a little over 24 hours later. Thunder fans (and possibly even the Thunder players) were maybe feeling themselves a bit too much after that 2-0 start. But, alas, the highs and lows are usually not reality. The truth usually lies in the middle. And when you look at it from that context, our start to the season begins to make sense.

Now we find ourselves going against these upstarts called the Detroit Pistons. Where Detroit is now is where the Thunder were last season. Chockful of hope and young players out to prove their mettle in the NBA. The return of Cade Cunningham has galvanized this Pistons squad and players like Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren have played better than their age and experience would suggest. The Pistons will be coming into this game looking to make a statement against a team that is on par with them on the rebuilding timeline. The Thunder will be looking to get the taste of that Denver defeat out of their mouth.

Injury Report

OKC

  • Jaylin Williams (hamstring)
  • Kenrich Williams (back)

Detroit

  • Bojan Bogdanovic (calf)
  • Monte Morris (quad)
  • Isaiah Livers (ankle)

A Couple Big Things

  1. SGA – It’s been a while since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held to single digits in a game. The last time was March 9th, 2022 when he was held to 8 points on 2-15 shooting against Minnesota. About two months prior, he was also to 8 points on 2-14 shooting against Denver. Here’s the thing: for as great as SGA is, some days you don’t have it. Scorers score. Shooters shoot. It’s just sometimes, that defense that is hell-bent on stopping you is sometimes good enough to get it done for a night. I fully expect a bounce back game from SGA tonight.
  2. Duren vs. Chet – Jalen Duran has come out this season with a point to prove and he’s doing it in grand fashion. In three games, the Detroit big man is averaging 18 points, 15 boards, 4 assists, and 2.7 blocks. The last time these two large human beings met was in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Both players played to about a draw (Duren had 7 points and 7 boards and Chet finished with 9 points and 9 boards), but Chet’s team came out victorious. They play different styles, which should make for a good match-up.
  3. Defense to Offense – The Pistons lead the league in Turnover % (the percentage of possessions that end in a turnover) and are 29th in total turnovers at 19.3 a game. Nearly 20% of their possessions end in a turnover. If the Thunder want to find a quick way to infuse their offense, it’s by creating transition opportunities from turnovers.
  4. Rebounding – While turnovers are an issue for the Pistons, rebounding is not. They lead the league in Offensive Rebound % and Total Rebound %. The Pistons have a lot of size on their team and use that in this facet of the game. While the bigs stick out (Duren, Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman, and Marvin Bagley), Cunningham and Thompson are big for their positions and help out on the glass also. Limiting 2nd chance opportunities could be very important for the Thunder in this game.