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

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Alex Roig

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

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.
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.
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.

Boston Celtics vs. Thunder preview (Game 67 of 82)

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Alex Roig

Boston Celtics (43-22, 2nd in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15, 1st in the West)
When: Thursday, 12 March 2026 at 8:30pm CST
Where: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
TV: Prime Video / FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: BOS: 119.8 (2nd) / OKC: 117.0 (7th)
Defensive Rating: BOS: 111.8 (5th) / OKC: 106.2 (1st)
Net Rating: BOS: 7.9 (2nd) / OKC: 10.8 (1st)
Current Streaks: BOS: Lost their last game, 9-3 in their last 12 / OKC: Winners of 6 in a row, 9-1 in their last 10

The Tip-Off

There was a point around early February, where the Thunder were struggling with injuries and struggling with winning consistently. Many basketball prognosticators pointed to this particular point in the season when the Thunder would start to lose their grip on their #1 status in both the conference and the league. San Antonio and Detroit both nipping at their tail and a murderer’s row of opponents (New York (in NYC), Denver, Boston, and Minnesota) lied ahead. The post All-Star break schedule was the one that was going to break the Thunder. What has happened since the All-Star break? A 9-1 record with the only loss being to the Detroit Pistons on a night where the Thunder were missing their top 6 players (SGA, Chet, Dub, Hartenstein, Ajay, and Caruso). This team is getting healthier and gaining some momentum at the right time in the season.

This is the first of two meetings this season between these two conference powerhouses. OKC swept the season series last season. These two teams were the favorites to meet in the Finals last season, but the injury to Jayson Tatum was too much for Boston as they lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs to the New York Knicks.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -6.5
O/U: 215.5

Injury Report

OKC

Branden Carlson – OUT (back)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf contusion)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

BOS

Payton Pritchard – Probable (neck spasms)
Jayson Tatum – Questionable (Achilles recovery management)
Nikola Vucevic – OUT (finger)
Derrick White – Questionable (knee contusion)

Three Big Things

Pace – Boston is the “slowest” team in the league, ranking dead last in Pace and Fast Break Points per game. But, with that, comes the ability to protect the ball, which they do to the utmost, ranking first in turnovers, committing just 12.1 turnovers per game. This will be where OKC has to win the game. Forcing turnovers and getting out in transition would get Boston out of their element and turn the game in OKC’s favor.
Perimeter Defense – Boston is the most “jump-shootiest” of jump-shooting teams there is in the league. They rank 1st in 3-point attempts per game, last in free-throw attempts per game (usually an indicator of a jump-shooting team), and 28th in Points in the Paint per game. They rank 6th in percentage of points from the mid-range and 3rd in percentage of points from the 3-point line. This may change a bit with the return of Jayson Tatum, but even with Tatum in the lineup, the Celtics were normally known as a team at the top or near the top of 3-point attempts. To a team like OKC, which likes to play it’s defense inside-out, if Boston is hitting their shots consistently, it could make for a long night.
127 – Anytime you tie a record set by Wilt Chamberlain, you’re in rarefied air. Anytime you have the chance to break a record set by Chamberlain, you’re on a whole ‘nother level. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finds himself on the precipice of breaking the consecutive “20-points scored” games record. It’ll be interesting to see how Boston handles this. Are they going to throw the kitchen sink at SGA in order to try and avoid this milestone happening on their watch. Or will Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla just stick to his normal game plan and let the chips fall as they may.

Thunder @ Detroit Pistons preview (Game 60 of 82)

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (45-14, 1st in the West) @ Detroit Pistons (42-14, 1st in the East)
When: Wednesday, 25 February 2026 at 6:30pm CST
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
TV: ESPN / FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: DET: 116.4 (10th) / OKC: 117.6 (4th)
Defensive Rating: DET: 108.3 (2nd) / OKC: 106.1 (1st)
Net Rating: DET: 8.1 (2nd) / OKC: 11.5 (1st)
Current Streaks: DET: Lost their last game, but had won 5 in a row previous to that / OKC: Winners of 3 in a row, 5-1 in their last 6 games

The Tip-Off

I’m still buzzing a bit off of the Thunder’s last two wins. To see Cason Wallace finally start to put together a complete game and to see Isaiah Joe completely bending defenses to his will because of his floor spacing has been incredible to watch since the All-Star break. Wallace has always been viewed as a defense first guy since entering the league and for good reason. You don’t lead the league in steals and total deflections without leaving your mark on that end of the floor. But to see what he has become with OKC missing most (and on some nights, all) of their ball-handlers, has been jaw-dropping. There were times last night where Wallace was calling for the ball at the top of the key in clutch time…and making all the right decisions. The Thunder pride themselves on still being a developmental team and it’s moments like this that show us that that approach is still working.

This is the first of two REGULAR SEASON meetings between these two conference front runners. OKC swept the season series last year.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: DET -9
O/U: 220.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – Doubtful (ankle)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Chet Holmgren – Doubtful (back spasms)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – OUT (abdominal strain)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal strain)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

DET

Isaiah Stewart – OUT (suspension)

Three Big Things

Battle of physical defenses – Detroit plays a physical brand of basketball that would make Bill Laimbeer proud. They lead the league in steals (10.3) and blocks (6.3), while also leading the league in personal fouls (22.3). For everyone that complains about Oklahoma City’s defense being too physical, they apparently haven’t watched too many Pistons games this season. Oklahoma City usually does a good job of matching physicality with physicality, so it will be interesting if things will get chippy out there. I’m calling it: Kenrich Williams gets a tech tonight.
Scheduled loss game – Second night of a road back to back. Prioritizing injury management. The Thunder will likely get fined for sitting some players out. And yet, I feel like the Pistons could fall into a trap game here. Maybe I’m just being a prisoner of the moment, but I really like the rhythm the Thunder are currently playing with. With that said, it’s going to be extremely difficult to get over Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein likely not playing in this game.
Turnover-prone – The path to beating the Pistons tonight may be an uphill battle, but where the Thunder can make up ground is in the Pistons being turnover prone. They are 23rd in the league in turnovers per game at 15.3. And they only have one real ball-handler in Cade Cunningham. A high turnover game and a bad Cunningham night could help the Thunder in making things competitive.

Thunder @ Toronto Raptors preview (Game 59 of 82)

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (44-14, 1st in the West) @ Toronto Raptors (34-23, 5th in the East)
When: Tuesday, 24 February 2026 at 6:30pm CST
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
TV: FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: TOR: 113.8 (16th) / OKC: 117.7 (4th)
Defensive Rating: TOR: 111.7 (6th) / OKC: 106.1 (1st)
Net Rating: TOR: 2.1 (11th) / OKC: 11.6 (1st)
Current Streaks: TOR & OKC: Both teams are winners of last 2 games and 4-1 in their last 5 games

The Tip-Off

The Chase to the Finish. Oklahoma City put themselves in good position when they started the season 24-1. They gave themselves a cushion that many teams never have the luxury of experiencing that early in the season. And they’ve needed every little bit of that cushion since then. Injuries, fatigue, and general post-championship malaise have plagued the Thunder over their last 33 games since that blistering start. Now the Thunder have to continuously be looking in the rearview mirror at the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs, like they are cop cars. Detroit finds themselves a game behind the Thunder in the overall league standings, while San Antonio, who already owns the tie-breaker over OKC, is 2.5 games back in the West standings. The ultimate goal of any regular season is to position yourself to have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs (see the 2024-25 OKC Thunder). But for a playoff-tested outfit like the Thunder, health may be a more important focus as the regular season churns towards it’s final month and a half. We’ll soon find out if that cushion was big enough for the Thunder.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the Thunder and Raptors. Toronto won the first meeting 103-101 in a game where the Thunder faltered late and struggled on the boards.

Betting Info, provided by FanDuel

Line: TOR -1
O/U: 216.5

Injury Report

OKC

Alex Caruso – Questionable (ankle)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – OUT (abdominal strain)
Chet Holmgren – Questionable (back spasms)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal strain)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

TOR

Chucky Hepburn – OUT (knee/meniscus)
Jakob Poeltl – OUT (back)

Three Big Things

Toronto’s poor 3-point shooting – Toronto is 26th in 3-point FGs made with 11.5 makes per game and 26th in 3-point FG percentage per game at 34.4%. This plays into OKC’s defensive ethos of primarily defending the paint and then running out to the open 3-point shooters.
Getting back on defense – Toronto leads the league in fast break points per game at 19.3. Conversely, the Thunder are the best at defending fast break points, allowing only 11.8 fast break points per game. This stat probably comes down to perimeter misses and rebounding. Toronto’s length allows them to recover on to open shooters and disrupt shots. This leads to long rebounds and the ability for Toronto to get out on the break.
Isaiah Joe – Over the last 6 games, Isaiah Joe is averaging 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2 steals on 48/56/92 shooting splits. He has a 13.7 net rating over that span to go along with a 73.6% True Shooting Percentage. Many times, he has been OKC’s most dangerous offensive option with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, and Jalen Williams missing much, if not all, of the last 6 games. It is not an understatement that the Thunder go as Joe goes while their three main handlers are out with injuries.

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

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Alex Roig

Detroit Pistons (42-33) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (63-12)
When: Wednesday, 02 April 2025 at 8:30pm CSTS
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – DET: 114.6 (12th) / OKC: 119.2 (3rd)
Defensive Rating – DET: 112.0 (10th) / OKC: 106.0 (1st)
Net Rating – DET: 2.6 (11th) / OKC: 13.2 (1st)

The Set-Up
Greatness. It’s a combination of many variables that allows a team to be called great. The Oklahoma City Thunder had a previous iteration that many people considered great. The Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka teams may have been great, talent-wise, but did they lack that greatness mindset that other teams may have possessed. Think about the Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson Warriors. Great team, but a greatness mindset to match. The Jordan, Pippen, Rodman Bulls. Same thing. I think this is where we stand with this current iteration of the Thunder. A great team with a mindset to match.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting in Detroit, 113-107. It has been one of the more tighter games for the Thunder after the All-Star Break.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -13.5
O/U: 232.5

Injury Report

OKC
Alex Caruso – Questionable (ankle)
Ousmane Dieng – OUT (calf)
Alex Ducas – OUT (quad)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (toe)
Nikola Topic – OUT (knee)
Aaron Wiggins – OUT (Achilles)

DET
Cade Cunningham – OUT (calf)
Tobias Harris – Questionable (Achilles)
Ron Holland II – OUT (suspension)
Jaden Ivey – OUT (leg)
Marcus Sasser – OUT (suspension)
Isaiah Stewart – OUT (suspension)

Three Big Things

1. Take Care of Business – The Pistons are likely going to be missing key pieces of their rotation in this game. Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland II are out after their suspensions from the fracas against the Timberwolves a couple of nights ago. Cade Cunningham is likely out due to a calf issue. If the Thunder play their game, this baby may be over by halftime.

2. Rebounding – Probably about the only statistic where the Pistons have a leg up on the Thunder is rebounding. But that’s with a full roster. With Cunningham and Stewart out, the responsibility of manning the boards may fall solely on Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris, who is coming back from injury. The Pistons may not have the personnel to exhibit dominance in this area tonight.

3. J-Dub, All-NBA? – With this game, Jalen Williams officially reaches 65 games played for the season. He’s already seen his first All-Star game appearance this season. Is he now in line for a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams? It’ll be close and he may literally be the first guy outside of the 15 players on the All-NBA teams. But his play on both ends of the floor may be the determining factor that gets him on one of the All-NBA teams. His versatility on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor may get him the nod over someone who may only play one end of the floor.

Thunder @ Portland Trailblazers preview (Game 5 of 82)

Posted on November 1, 2024 by okctopicthunder

Oklahoma City Thunder demolish the Portland Trail Blazers by 62 points in record-breaking win | CNN

Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0) at Portland Trailblazers (2-3)
When: Friday, 01 November 2024 at 9:00pm CST
Where: Moda Center, Portland, OR
Offensive Rating – POR: 107.2 (25th) / OKC: 108.5 (23rd)
Defensive Rating – POR: 113.0 (15th) / OKC: 91.3 (1st)
Net Rating – POR: -5.8 (23rd) / OKC: 17.1 (3rd)
TV: FanDuel Sports Network – Oklahoma

The Set-Up

Trap games. These are the games where a dominant team can get tripped up. We saw it last season. The Thunder head into Detroit for a matinee game on Super Bowl Sunday and get absolutely demolished by the Pistons. Maybe looking ahead. Maybe not respecting the opponent, but it happened. As the Thunder start the season at a blistering pace, especially defensively, these are the types of games where they could get tripped up if they don’t bring it. For great teams, these games can become “meh” games. But for the opponent, this game may be their early season Super Bowl.

This is the first of four meetings this season between these two division rivals. The Thunder swept the season series last year, winning the first two games collectively by 105 points, while then winning the final two meetings by 10 points combined. One game in the 2nd half of the season even necessitated a Jalen Williams game-winner.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -11.5
O/U: 221.5

Injury Report

OKC

Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (hand)
Nikola Topic – OUT (knee)
Jaylin Williams – OUT (hamstring)
Kenrich Williams – OUT (knee)

POR

Shaedon Sharpe – OUT (shoulder)
Matisse Thybulle – OUT (knee)
Robert Williams III – OUT (hamstring)

Three Big Things

Give and Take – So far this season, the Thunder have absolutely punished teams who turn the ball over. They lead the league in steals and blocks as a team, force the most turnovers in the league, and score 19.4% of their points off of turnovers. Portland, on the other hand, is the 5th worst team at protecting the ball, coughing it up 17 times a game.
Defensive Rebounding – While the Thunder have improved immensely in the rebounding department, the reality is that Chet Holmgren is the only true big that can play currently. Portland trots out a pretty physical big man duo in DeAndre Ayton and rookie Donovan Clingan, while having Jerami Grant at the 4. Portland grabs 13.8 offensive rebounds per game (6th in the league) and score 19 points per game in 2nd-chance points (4th in the league). If there is any facet of the game where Portland may sneak up on the Thunder, it’s in this department.
SGA inefficiency from deep – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has struggled a bit from deep this season. He is currently shooting 27.3% on 8.3 3-point attempts per game. But what about the rest of his game? He’s still shooting 51.8% on 2-point shots and 90.5% from the line. He’s increased his assist numbers, while keeping his turnovers low. He is one of the leaders in stocks on the defensive end. The 3-point shot thing may just be an extension of the preseason. Just trying things out. In fact, Dylan Huntzinger (@Thunderchets on Twitter) lays it all out in a recent article.

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

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Alex Roig

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

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.
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.
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.
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.

Thunder At A Glance: 04 December 2018

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Alex Roig

ESPN’s panel of basketball experts answered some questions in regards to the Western Conference: “I expect the Oklahoma City Thunder to be the second-best come May. Oklahoma City currently sports the West’s second-best differential behind the Denver Nuggets, and that’s despite Russell Westbrook missing eight games due to injury. The Thunder will still add stopper Andre Roberson to what’s already been the league’s best defense on a per-possession basis and have plenty of playoff experience.”

ESPN has OKC number 5 in their weekly power rankings: “The Thunder did exactly what they were supposed to in a light week, winning both games against the lowly Cavaliers and Hawks by a combined 32 points. They have now won 14 of 17 games to quietly inch closer to the top of the Western Conference. Paul George has been outstanding, averaging 25.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.6 APG and 3.0 combined steals and blocks during his last 10 games to keep the Thunder competitive even when Russell Westbrook has had to sit.” Continue reading →

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 →

Thunder At A Glance – 05 October 2018

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Alex Roig

Royce Young (ESPN) on the setback suffered by Andre Roberson in his recovery from a ruptured patella tendon: “After suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in January, Roberson was on track to return to the floor in November, but he needed an additional procedure because a suture was causing irritation that he couldn’t play through.”

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) with reaction to the Thunder’s first preseason game: “It was a Thunder group featuring a 14-year veteran in reserve point guard Raymond Felton, forward Jerami Grant, backup center Nerlens Noel and then 20-year-old Terrance Ferguson and 19-year-old Hamidou Diallo. Clashing against the Pistons’ All-Star center Andre Drummond, a rising, physical forward in Stanley Johnson and few other veteran starters, the Thunder youngsters hung in there and made Wednesday’s preseason opener a high-intensity, competitive battle for all 48 minutes.” Continue reading →