The Detroit Pistons came into this game short-handed after the NBA Trade Deadline. Andre Drummond was traded away for John Henson and Brand Knight with an additional pick. The life without Andre Drummond started tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. The Pistons only suited up 9 players on the night and it gave expended minutes to other players that didn’t usually have that spotlight. Two of those players that had to step their game up to fill that void for Drummond were Thon Maker and Christian Wood. Both players were very good on the perimeter and made it tough on Steven Adams/Nerlens Noel on the night. Christian Wood was a player that many teams inquired about on the trade deadline and Detroit refused to take calls. The Thunder found out first hand why the Pistons wanted to keep Wood on the roster. On the night Wood finished with 27 points going 10/18 from the field. Wood was able to get the job on the inside and outside with ease and looks like a promising young player. Christian Wood was able to hit the 3 point shot and he was able to attack when given the chance. It seemed as though the Thunder had some trouble containing Wood inside and when they switched he hurt them from 3 point range. The other player that surprised a lot of the Thunder players was Thon Maker. Tonight Maker was able to finish with 19 points and showed that he has some range as well. The Thunder usually struggles with players that can play inside and outside in that 5 position. Thon Maker has a chance to get more minutes and more opportunity moving forward with the Pistons getting rid of Andre Drummond. Reggie Jackson played his heart out tonight as he finished with a game-high 28 points. Reggie was able to hit his 3 point shot and he was able to get to the rim with impressive dribble and finesse. The problem for Reggie was the fact that every time he did something that was impressive that could get them closer the Thunder made a run. The Pistons didn’t have enough bodies tonight to get it done and the Thunder made them pay every chance they could from the field shooting 51% on the evening.
The Oklahoma City Thunder came into this game not making any moves on the NBA Trade Deadline. Not making a move on the deadline could be huge moving forward because they already have chemistry. Tonight the Thunder put that chemistry on display as they were shooting lights out from the field. The three-guard lineup has been working all season and the Thunder could be up to something with their playmakers down the stretch. The Pistons had no answer for the three guards as Schröder, Gilegeous-Alexander, and Paul finished for a combined 61 points out of the 108 OKC put up tonight. This three-guard lineup’s extremely tough to guard because you have ball handlers that can create for others and create shots for themselves as well. Balanced scoring was a huge part of this game as OKC had five players that scored in double digits. The way that the guards play rubs off on this team from hustle plays to creating for each other. OKC has a team that has been unselfish and they play as a true unit. The Pistons didn’t have anyone in the paint that could stop the Thunder from scoring in the paint like they love to do. The Thunder had 50 points in the paint and they executed their plays with ease as the Pistons didn’t have enough men to make a difference. If OKC can continue to play that this pace and with this much confidence they will be a scary team in the western conference moving forward. The bench production will come with timing and once the Thunder gets a true 2nd unit together where everyone knows their role it will be epic. The Thunder have young players that are learning on the fly as the season goes on like Luguentz, Darius, and Hamidou. The future is bright for this team and as long as Shai continues to grow on a nightly basis this team will be successful. Up next the Thunder will host the Boston Celtics on Sunday as they try to make it 13 games above .500 on the season. Before the season a lot of media outlets didn’t have the Thunder even in the playoffs and they’re now chasing down that number 4 spot in the West.
Recent Comments