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Thunder vs. Detroit Pistons Game Recap - Nov. 14, 2014

The Thunder battled all night and rallied back against every run the Detroit Pistons made. When the game went to overtime, however, the Thunder couldn’t find its counterpunch.

Head Coach Scott Brooks’ team fell 96-89 to Detroit on Friday night, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort on the defensive end, where the Thunder held the Pistons to just 42.7 percent shooting. Reggie Jackson ran the offense, scoring 20 points and racking up 12 assists, while Jeremy Lamb, Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams and Anthony Morrow joined him in double figures. Unfortunately the Thunder itself shot just 39.6 percent from the field and went 1-for-6 from the free throw line, which didn’t allow enough margin for error down the stretch.

“They were getting after it defensively,” Brooks said of his team. “This was a (Pistons) team that is a great offensive rebounding team and we battled and gave ourselves a chance to win. We had some tough moments down the stretch, a couple of tough turnovers and they got hot.”

The Pistons built a nine-point fourth quarter lead, but the Thunder battled back. Anthony Morrow used a pump fake then a one-dribble pull up jumper to bring the Thunder within two with 3:02 remaining, then followed it up with a spectacular three-pointer in the corner on the next possession. Reggie Jackson fired a wrap-around pass from under the rim to Morrow in the corner, but the Thunder shooting guard fumbled it as he went up. Somehow maintaining concentration, Morrow gathered the ball while already in mid-air and drained the shot, giving the Thunder a 79-78 edge with just 2:14 left in regulation.

“It’s not even a thought,” Morrow said. “It’s so many years of shooting, repetition and every day it’s the same thing. I shoot quick shots, that’s a part of my work out.”

Detroit made a free throw then Reggie Jackson and Brandon Jennings traded baskets, setting the Thunder up with the ball with 10.6 seconds remaining. Jackson used a dummy screen from Steven Adams to clear out for a one-on-one opportunity, and got the shot he wanted, a fall-away 16-footer. It just barely rimmed out, sending the game into overtime. Once in the extra period, however, the Thunder couldn’t stop Jennings and the Pistons and couldn’t get shots to fall as it went on a 12-0 run to seal the win.

“We got good looks,” Lamb said. “We missed some shots and they made some shots. It’s a tough one, but we played hard and put ourselves in a position but let them get away with it.”

Thunder Responds to Runs

All night, the Thunder seemed to have a response for every Pistons surge. The resilience was on display from the very start, when the Thunder fell behind by eight points less than four minutes into the game before embarking on a 16-1 run to end the first quarter.

Detroit clawed back to take a three-point lead near the end of the second quarter, but the Thunder closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a six point lead to halftime. Again, in the third quarter, the Pistons made a charge to build a four point lead, but a 7-0 Thunder run turned the game around again. In the fourth quarter, Detroit scored the first seven points of the quarter and built a nine point lead before the Thunder grinded back to put itself in a position to send the game to overtime.

“We had some bad moments on offense where we were missing some ‘good luck’ shots,” Ibaka said. “We were working so hard on defense. One time we got like four stops in a row, but couldn’t make stops.”

Lamb Fills the Stat Sheet

It all started with the Thunder’s first offensive possession, when Jeremy Lamb went left around a screen near the elbow and knocked down a mid-range jumper. That first shot went down, Lamb picked up two steals early in the first quarter and was seemingly all over the floor the rest of the night.

“I told him the second game of the season, ‘The more active you are, the harder it is for guys to guard you,’” Morrow said. “He’s very elusive. He can slide through pick-and-rolls and split pick-and-rolls. He’s gifted with the ball.”

The third year guard shot well from the field, going 10-for-17 en-route to a career-high 24 points, while knocking down 4 of his 7 three-point attempts. More importantly, however, Lamb was a factor in other areas of the game. He used his length to clean up the defensive glass, as he finished with 10 rebounds in his first career double-double, while adding three assists and three steals on the night. 

“He played amazingly,” He wasn’t just offensively getting it done, where he shot lights out. He was doing everything for us, crashing the glass. He really competed defensively and made a conscious effort to go out there and be the best he can be.”

“Coach (Brooks) continued to encourage me. I tried to bring energy on the defensive end. I wanted to be able to come from the game whether I played well or badly, win or lose, that I gave it my all.”

Stats of the Night

5 – Blocked shots for Steven Adams, a career high as he finished with 11 points and eight rebounds

10 – Rebounds for Serge Ibaka, giving him a double-double to go with his 19 points

24 – Points for Jeremy Lamb on the night, a career-high, on 10-for-17 shooting, including 4-for-7 from the three-point line

Parting Quote

“We missed some shots we should have made, but we played great defense. If we bring that intensity, we’re going to win a lot of games.” – Guard Anthony Morrow