Pistons-Thunder Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Jan 22 2012 7:35PM

The Oklahoma City Thunder got back to their defensive ways following a loss to the league's worst team.

That could be bad news for the low-scoring Detroit Pistons.

The Western Conference-leading Thunder go for their sixth consecutive victory in this series on Monday night when the Pistons try to end a 14-game road losing streak to West opponents.

Coming off a 105-102 loss to Washington on Wednesday in its worst defensive performance of the season, Oklahoma City (13-3) capped off a 2-1 trip with Saturday's 84-74 victory over New Jersey.

It didn't matter that the Thunder posted their lowest scoring game of the season, as they recorded 10 blocks and held the Nets to 31.0 percent from the field.

It was the franchise's best effort since the Seattle SuperSonics limited Miami to 30.2 percent shooting in a 100-71 victory on Dec. 7, 2002.

"Defense is an ingredient in everything for us," said Kevin Durant, who finished with 20 points, a season-best 15 rebounds and two steals. "We got out with steals (eight) and got some fastbreak points. Guys played together tonight and that's what we need for us to win."

The Thunder, who are 6-1 at home, are looking to match the team's best start since the SuperSonics opened 14-3 in 2004-05.

Since relocating from Seattle in 2008, Oklahoma City has won all three times the Pistons have come to town.

Detroit (4-13) lost 104-94 on March 11 in its last visit, and the team hasn't won on the road against a West foe since a 100-94 victory over Sacramento on Nov. 14, 2010.

The Pistons, though, enter this matchup with some much-needed confidence after ending their four-game skid Saturday with a 94-91 win over Portland.

Replacing the injured Ben Gordon (shoulder) in the starting lineup, Rodney Stuckey returned from a one-game absence with a groin injury to post season highs with four 3-pointers and 28 points.

Rookie Brandon Knight added 14 as the Pistons committed just 13 turnovers. They gave the ball away a season-high 25 times the night before in a 98-81 loss to Memphis.

"When we take care of the ball, that's definitely a plus for us," Knight, who is averaging a team-high 3.2 turnovers, told the Pistons' official website.

Gordon has also struggled with turnovers - committing 3.1 per game - but the Pistons could use his offense (14.3 points per game) and 3-point shooting (20 for 44) as they are averaging just 85.3 points.

The Thunder are scoring 103.1 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting at home.

Durant scored 24 points in Detroit's last visit, and he's averaging 27.6 during the winning streak in this series.

Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is scoring 11.8 points per game with 8.6 assists and 4.0 boards during that stretch in which Oklahoma City has not won by more than 11.

Detroit won the previous eight times these teams met.

Pistons center Greg Monroe had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in last season's loss in Oklahoma City after not playing in a 105-104 home loss to the Thunder on Oct. 29, 2010.

Kendrick Perkins will face the Pistons for the first time in a Thunder uniform after missing the March 11 matchup with a sprained left knee.

Perkins and Serge Ibaka, who recorded a season-best five blocks Saturday, are the only teammates in the NBA with at least one block in each game.

Thunder top Pistons 99-79 for another home blowout

By JEFF LATZKE
Posted Jan 23 2012 11:51PM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder love to get out and run.

When they're allowed to do it, it doesn't take long for games to get out of hand.

Russell Westbrook and reserve James Harden each scored 24 points, Kevin Durant added 20 and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Detroit Pistons 99-79 Monday night for their fourth straight blowout win at home.

The Thunder built up a 30-point lead midway through the second quarter and Detroit got no closer than 17 after the opening period.

"That's always our motto we live by is getting stops and running out," "Today, that's what we did and we were able to get some easy layups and get everybody going."

Rookie Brandon Knight led Detroit with 13 points. Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe added 12 apiece.

Stuckey appeared to re-aggravate a nagging groin injury in the second half. Frank said he'd be re-evaluated Tuesday.

The overmatched Pistons - last in the league in scoring, rebounding and turnovers committed - never stood a chance from the start. Ben Gordon missed his second straight game because of a sore left shoulder, and Will Bynum (foot) and Charlie Villanueva (ankle) also remained out.

Westbrook had a right-handed throwdown dunk and Durant got out in transition for a layup and a three-point play as the Thunder took control with a 9-0 run after Stuckey's basket to open the game.

Oklahoma City was already up by 19 late in a first quarter in which Detroit missed 15 of 18 shots and got outrebounded 16-6. The official stats credited the Thunder with 15 fast-break points but Pistons coach Lawrence Frank chalked up 21 of Oklahoma City's 31 first-quarter points to transition play.

Two baskets came on putbacks after fast-break misses.

"They have great speed and quickness. But for us, we just didn't do enough to make them play against a set defense," Frank said. "We just didn't."

Frank said Detroit had nine shots within three feet of the basket in the first period that proved fruitless.

"Unfortunately, they were either blocked or led to their break," Frank said. "When you get run out of the gym, it's normally your turnovers. I think we only had one turnover during that stretch."

"You've got to give their defense some credit but you have to get back," Frank added.

Another stretch of nine points in a row put the Thunder ahead 51-21 after Durant's jumper from the right side with 5:31 to go before halftime.

Oklahoma City made 22 of its first 33 shots.

Even when things seemed to be going well for Detroit, they didn't.

Brandon Knight, Jonas Jerebko and Damien Wilkins had a 3-on-1 in transition against Thabo Sefolosha that ended when Sefolosha blocked Jerebko's shot to keep the Thunder lead at 60-33 going into halftime.

Durant called it Oklahoma City's best defensive performance of the season, holding Detroit to just 34 percent shooting. It was the second-best in terms of points allowed, behind only the 74 points allowed in a win at New Jersey one game earlier.

"We did a good job defensively," Westbrook said. "I think we did good job of coming out and making our presence known defensively."

Oklahoma City's starters had sat out all of the fourth quarter in the previous three games at Chesapeake Energy Arena and that streak was only stopped because Serge Ibaka replaced an injured Nick Collison with the rest of the backups for the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter.

Collison sprained his left ankle and didn't play after halftime. He is day-to-day leading into Wednesday's game against New Orleans.

Detroit lost for the 11th time in its last 13 games and was unable to follow Saturday's 94-91 win against Portland with another strong performance.

"The bottom line is this is who we are. ... We haven't been consistent, so that's where we're at right now," Frank said. "So, we're just going to have to work a whole lot harder and smarter and tougher together to not have performances that resemble this."

Frank said the Pistons got deflated after Oklahoma City's early run and needed to "tie those shoes up tighter and take a stand."

"I just know we have a whole lot more to give and a whole lot more talent in that locker room to have performances like these," Frank said. "We just can't accept it."

NOTES: Kendrick Perkins picked up his sixth technical foul of the season in the final minute of the first half, with the Thunder up by 29. He faces a one-game suspension if he gets to 13. ... Monroe was 1 for 10 in the first half. He missed shots on four of Detroit's first five possessions. ... Ibaka blocked a season-high five shots for the second straight game and also pulled down 10 rebounds.

Notebook: Thunder 99, Pistons 79

By Randy Renner, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday January 24, 2012 12:34AM

THE FACTS: The Oklahoma City Thunder used a combination of smothering defense and hot shooting to blister the Detroit Pistons 99-79 inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Monday. The Pistons missed 12 of their first 14 shots and trailed by as many as 32 points. The Thunder used a three-headed monster to dominate the game. James Harden (24), Russell Westbrook (24) and Kevin Durant (20) each had at least 20 points in the first three quarters. Harden played four minutes of the fourth quarter but didn't score. Neither Durant nor Westbrook got off the bench in the last quarter, the fifth time this season the Thunder starters have been able to rest the entire fourth quarter. Brandon Knight led Detroit with 13 points, Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey each added a dozen and Jonas Jerebko had 11. The Pistons are now 0-4 in OKC versus the Thunder. Oklahoma City moves to 14-3, tying the best start in franchise history. The 2005-06 Seattle SuperSonics also started 14-3.

QUOTABLE: "The defense set the tone from the first possession. We knew going in you have to bring it and we really got after it. That was important tonight."
-- Thunder coach Scott Brooks

QUOTABLE II: "It was a good win for us, I try to come out defensively and affect the game. I thought we all did that tonight."
-- Westbrook

THE STAT: For the seventh time this season Oklahoma City held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting. Detroit managed to make just 34.1 percent of its shots (28-for-82). In the first quarter. Oklahoma City held the Pistons to just 16.7 percent (3-for-18) to jump out to a 29-12 lead. By halftime, Detroit had improved only a little to 26.8 percent and trailed 60-33.

TURNING POINT: The Thunder put the clamps on this one early, leading by 10 halfway through the first quarter and by 17 at the end of the opening 12 minutes. The Thunder outscored Detroit 15-1 on the break and 14-2 in the paint in the first quarter. The lead ballooned out to 32 (56-24) with 4:31 left in the second. The Pistons, who've struggled all season offensively, just never could get anything going against Oklahoma City's attacking defense.

QUOTABLE III: "Look we had shots at the rim, in the first quarter we had I think nine shots within three feet and we missed them all, they were either blocked or led to their fast breaks. It's very disappointing to put forth that type of performance."
-- Pistons coach Lawrence Frank

HOT: Oklahoma City was 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) in the first quarter. ... Westbrook was 6-for-8 in the first 12 minutes. ... Harden hit six of his first seven shots and was 4-for-4 on 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of the game. ... OKC shot 58.5 percent (24-for-41) in the first half. ... The Thunder finished at 53.2 percent. ... Harden finished 8-for-11 including 5-for-6 on 3-pointers. ... Westbrook ended the night 11-for-17.

NOT: The Pistons made just two of their first 14 shots (14.3 percent) and finished the quarter with just 12 points on 3-for-18 shooting (16.7 percent). Most of those misses were from in close (1-for-9 in the paint). ... Monroe was just 1-for-8 in the first quarter and 0-for-2 in the second. ... Monroe finished 3-for-14. ... Austin Daye was 3-for-10 and Walker Russell was 0-for-5.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Westbrook's parents came into town from Los Angeles for Westbrook's contract extension news conference on Sunday and were among those in the crowd. Durant's mother and grandmother also watched the game from court-side seats.

GOOD MOVE: Westbrook, standing at the top of the arc, drives around Brandon Knight then past a screen set by Kendrick Perkins to deliver a tomahawk slam in the first quarter.

GOOD MOVE TOO: Moments later Westbrook, leading a fast break, brings the sell-out crowd to its feet with a left-handed, behind-the-back pass to Durant, who lays it in and gets fouled.

QUOTABLE IV: "I'm actually naturally left-handed. I know that surprises some people."
-- Westbrook

GOOD MOVE III: In the second quarter Thunder defensive wiz Thabo Sefolosha stopped a 3-on-1 fast break by blocking a shot and grabbing the rebound.

NOTABLE: Thunder big men Serge Ibaka (five) and Perkins (one) continued their season-long block party. Ibaka and Perkins are the only teammates to block at least one shot in every game this season, Ibaka has now blocked a shot in 30 straight games, the longest streak in the NBA. ... The 12 points allowed in the first quarter and 33 points in the first half were the fewest allowed by Oklahoma City this season. ... Thunder forward Nick Collison left the game in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return.

UP NEXT: For the Pistons, Wednesday vs Miami, Friday vs Atlanta, Saturday @ Philadelphia. For the Thunder, Wednesday vs New Orleans, Friday @ Golden State, Monday @ L.A. Clippers.

• Pistons: Villanueva
• Thunder: Maynor, Reid

• Pistons: --
• Thunder: Perkins

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #26 Pat Fraher, #72 J.T. Orr
• Attendance: 18203
• Duration: 2:08