The Detroit Pistons (11-6) have been idle since Monday’s 116-88 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tonight, they’ll face the top-heavy Oklahoma City Thunder (8-9) for the first time this season. Here are three storylines to keep an eye on.
After three days off, the Detroit Pistons will get back to work tonight when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Fox Sports Detroit Plus and WWJ (950 AM) will carry the television and radio broadcasts, respectively.
Let’s take a look at the three biggest storylines surrounding tonight’s contest.
1. OKC on D
Quietly, and consistently, the Thunder are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA. They boast the third best defensive rating this season, allowing just 101.2 points per 100 possessions. This is due, in large part, to their ability to play the passing lanes.
No team averages more steals per game (10.7) than Oklahoma City. Thunder small forward Paul George leads the NBA in steals per game with an average of 2.6. Point guard Russell Westbrook is tied for second with 2.1.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Thunder rank No. 1 in deflections (18.8) and loose balls recovered (8.0) per game. Below is an example of the Thunder’s smothering on-ball defense.
George forces Darius Miller to dribble towards the middle of the floor. Miller struggles to create any space between the two, and George is able to poke the ball loose. Westbrook then sprints to the three-point line, picks up the ball and pushes it in transition. Nobody from New Orleans even bothers to get back on defense.
The video above shows Westbrook not only defending an in-bounds pass, but recognizing a switch in the process. Nuggets’ guard Jamal Murray sets a screen on Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony. This leaves Paul Millsap open – or so we think.
Westbrook immediately switches to defend Millsap. In doing so, he is able to steal the in-bounds pass, keep it in play, and corral the basketball just in time for a fast break layup attempt.
His missed dunk doesn’t negate a spectacular defensive effort. More often than not, Westbrook is going to score on those kinds of plays. Detroit must be wary of this if they hope to win. Weak or half-hearted passes won’t cut it against the Thunder.
2. Team rebounding
Despite having the NBA’s leading rebounder in Andre Drummond, the Pistons are one of league’s worst on the glass. Detroit averages 42.8 boards per game (15.3 of them from Drummond). That’s good enough for 24th overall.
Oklahoma City has a similar same problem. They enter tonight’s contest grabbing 42.4 per game, which puts them right behind the Pistons at No. 25. Westbrook, their starting point guard, leads the team with 8.8 per contest.
It would be easy to chalk this one up for Detroit. But not so fast. Sure, Drummond has the clear advantage over Thunder center Steven Adams. However, Oklahoma City is much more balanced when it comes to rebounding as a whole.
Four Thunder players average at least six rebounds a night. Drummond is the only Piston who meets that criteria. Detroit’s second leading rebounder is Tobias Harris with 5.1 per game. No other active Piston averages more than 3.1.
Stan Van Gundy’s back court of Reggie Jackson and Avery Bradley will be tested on the glass this evening. They’re visiting a Thunder team that loves to follow their shots and crash the boards. If Drummond gets into early foul trouble, Detroit’s lack of interior presence could be exposed.
3. Battle of the bench?
One of the bigger criticisms of the Thunder this season is the lack of production from their bench. Oklahoma City ranks near the bottom, 29th to be exact, when it comes to bench scoring per game. Billy Donovan‘s reserves are putting up just 25.4 points per contest.
Westbrook, George and Anthony have had to shoulder much of the burden. The trio has combined to average 62.8 points per game. All three play at least 32 minutes per game, and have a usage rate higher than 25 percent.
Fielding three superstars is every club’s dream. But the 2017-18 Thunder prove that the dream comes at a price. Their bench has been gutted, and that’s forced Donovan to limit the amount of time Westbrook, George and Anthony share the floor together.
The Pistons find themselves in a much better spot, with their bench averaging 32.1 points per game. They’ve received key contributions from a handful of reserve players this year. Point guard Ish Smith has picked up where he left off last season, adding an offensive jolt to Detroit’s second unit.
Knock down shooters such as guard Langston Galloway and forward Anthony Tolliver have meshed well with Smith leading the offense. Tolliver, even as a backup, has been one of the more consistent Piston defenders as well.
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If Detroit’s bench can outplay Oklahoma City’s, then the Pistons should be in good shape for tonight. They must take advantage whenever Westbrook, George or Anthony are on the sideline, because those three won’t be there for long.