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Pistons get beat on the boards as Durant’s 34 points, cold second half undo them in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY – Of all the ways you don’t expect the Pistons to lose, this probably goes at No. 1 on the list: outrebounded by 20.

“That’s something we should’ve been able to do a better job of,” Stan Van Gundy glumly agreed after Friday’s 103-87 loss at Oklahoma City. “We’re minus-20 on the glass. I didn’t think anybody on our team rebounded the ball at all.”

And that included the guy rebounding at a rate the NBA hasn’t seen in a generation, Andre Drummond. Drummond came into the game No. 1 in rebounding by more than five a game at 17.8, but was held to a season-low seven.

“I’ve never seen Andre that poor on the boards,” Van Gundy said. “Didn’t block anybody out. Not only did he not get rebounds, his guy dominated us on the glass.”

Drummond wasn’t the only big-name NBA player well off his game. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook – averaging 28.1 points, 10.3 assists and 7.4 rebounds – was dogged all night by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Westbrook fouled out, frustrated into a wild offensive foul with more than four minutes to go, with nearly as many missed shots (nine) and turnovers (11) as points (14).

But that still left Oklahoma City one superstar up on the Pistons and Kevin Durant looked every bit MVP worthy. He got the Thunder out of the chute with 15 first-quarter points and added 14 more in the decisive third quarter, when Oklahoma City erased a seven-point halftime deficit to lead by five into the fourth quarter. Durant added 14 in the third and finished with 34, plus 13 of OKC’s 58 rebounds.

“I’m sure we had some defensive breakdowns, but that guy’s a hell of a player,” Van Gundy said. “He can get shots off and over the top of anybody, at any time. You’re talking one of the top two or three players in the world. He’s pretty good.”

Durant was the only thing about the game that played to form. It stood to reason that the best chance for a Pistons upset win against a team on a roll since Durant’s return from a six-game absence due to a hamstring strain was big games from Drummond and Reggie Jackson, making his first return to Oklahoma City since last February’s trade – and hearing consistent boos, as Marcus Morris did on his return to Phoenix earlier this month, every time he touched the ball.

But Jackson was limited to six first-half minutes and Drummond to 14:30 by fouls, yet the Pistons rolled up 55 points and – despite spotting the Thunder an 8-0 lead to start – a 13-point lead until OKC closed the half 6-0. But the Pistons shot 24 percent and scored 32 points after halftime.

“A combination of poor shooting in the second half – we couldn’t buy a basket – and them really beating us up on the offensive glass,” Jackson said. “It was definitely more evident in the second half, especially since we couldn’t get a basket. It started wearing on us.”

There was a pretty healthy list of positives for the Pistons. Steve Blake was terrific in the first half, going 18 minutes and dishing seven assists to go with five points, three boards and three steals. Aron Baynes continues to give the Pistons a physical presence and looks more and more like Van Gundy’s front office got it right in identifying him as the top backup big man on the board last summer. And Caldwell-Pope’s work on Westbrook raised eyebrows.

But Drummond’s inability to neutralize Oklahoma City’s rebounding, never mind dominate as he’s done for most of the season, was almost demoralizing.

“They were boxing him out,” Caldwell-Pope said. “They didn’t let him get his second chances. By doing that, they won the game. We just didn’t hit anybody. We’ve just got to box out and go get the rebound.”

When the Pistons do that, they’re pretty tough to beat – 8-2 this season in games they’ve outrebounded the opposition. When they don’t, they’re 0-6. And it was never as emphatic as it was this time out.

Van Gundy came into the game worried that OKC – No. 1 in the league in offensive rebounding percentage, ahead of the Pistons – would hurt them at that end because of Westbrook’s ability to penetrate, break down defenses and force opposing big men to slide off of their man. But with Caldwell-Pope doing his job so well, that really didn’t happen.

“We should’ve been able to rebound tonight,” Van Gundy said. “I thought Pope did a very good job defensively on Westbrook. We should’ve been able to rebound. We just didn’t.”