After Black Friday’s inevitable nationwide shopping spree, why not sit back and relax with some stellar matches from the NBA to soothe your stressful bargain-hunting efforts?
One such game to look out for will be the showdown between the Detroit Pistons and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pistons have been one been one of the East’s pleasant surprises this season, while the Thunder seem to be in top form once more with a healthy Kevin Durant back in the lineup.
Which of these two early season contenders will notch another mark on the win column? Let’s take a closer look at this matchup below. Afterwards, check out our other previews for Miami vs. New York and Cleveland vs. Charlotte to round out your Friday filled with intense basketball action.
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Detroit Pistons vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City
When: Friday, November 27, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Detroit Pistons (+7.5) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-7.5); total: 206.0 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Detroit Pistons (8-7)
After back to back loses against Washington and Milwaukee, the Detroit Pistons got back on the winning track with a sound 104-81 beat down of the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Pistons need to string together quality wins to prove that their relative success this season is no fluke, and they can begin a win streak anew this Thursday with a signature road victory against Oklahoma City.
[sc:NBA240banner ]One player who will definitely be inspired to deliver is Reggie Jackson, who is playing his former team from last season for the first time this year. Jackson seems to be enjoying his stay in the Motor City, and is averaging career- and team-highs of 19.3 points and six assists per game.
But the real driving force of the team has been Andre Drummond, who notched his 14th double-double in the 15 games he’s played this season with 18 points and 20 rebounds to go along with five blocks on Wednesday night against Miami. Another superb defensive effort from the 22-year-old will be crucial for the Pistons’ prospects of getting the win against OKC’s undeniable firepower.
But it’s not as if Detroit is lacking in defense whatsoever. In fact, the team is allowing just 96.3 points per contest – good enough to have the fifth-best scoring defense in the league. The Pistons are also tops in the NBA with 47.5 rebounds per game, so their opportunities to score are always there to stay toe-to-toe with the high-flying Thunder.
Detroit has lost its last five contests played in Oklahoma City, but did manage to go 3-2 against the spread in that same span.
With his hamstring issues seemingly in the rear view, Kevin Durant is back to his former MVP form in guiding his Oklahoma City Thunder back in the playoff hunt this season.
In the last two games of the Thunder’s current three-game win streak, Durant came back from his bothersome injury with a bang. He scored 27 and 30 points against the Jazz and the Nets, respectively, on a combined 21-of-31 shooting from the floor and 8-of-14 from the three-point line.
But even without Durant for large spells this season, Oklahoma City has been able to stay competitive thanks to Russell Westbrook. Not only is Westbrook leading the team in scoring (28.1) and assists (10.3) per game, but he’s also one of only two players in the league this season to average double-digits in assists.
With Westbrook beautifully commanding OKC’s offense, the team now has second-highest scoring offense in the league at 109.8 points per contest. Not only that, but the Thunder are also second in the league behind Detroit with 47.1 rebounds per game, which should make the battle in the post this Friday between Enes Kanter and Andre Drummond all the more intriguing and worth keeping an eye on.
However, Oklahoma City needs to take better advantage of playing in its own arena. The team is only 3-3 over its last six home games, going 0-6 against the spread during that stretch.
Writer’s Prediction
The Thunder (-7.5) extend their winning streak to four games, 111-98.
