The out of form Detroit Pistons will be looking to end their three-game home stand on a positive note as the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder roll into town.
The Detroit Pistons have lost six games in a row and have lost nine of their last 11 games in a stretch where they have played some of the worst basketball seen under Stan Van Gundy’s guidance.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder, on the other hand, are flying at the moment.
Currently the complete antithesis of the Pistons, they have won six games in a row and won eight of their last 11 contests.
The Thunder have really started to click as a unit in the past month after they made major offseason moves to bring in both Carmelo Anthony and Paul George.
While still not playing at his absolute peak, Anthony has been impressive over this stretch and will provide a huge challenge for the Pistons when they’re on the defensive end.
Paul George is also playing some of the best basketball of his career right now.
He’s shooting the ball at a solid clip (although his three-point percentage could use some work), but more impressively he’s been a nightmare for opposing teams on defence.
Former Thunder head coach turned Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks even went as far to call him the best two-way player in basketball right now.
It’s a claim that certainly has some merit to it, as his defence has taken a considerable jump this season.
He’s averaging 2.2 steals per game, which is comfortably the best in his career and puts him tied for equal first in the league with Eric Bledsoe.
His defensive rating of 104 isn’t spectacular, but the Thunder are certainly a better defensive unit when he’s on the court and his rating is hovering around the mark it was at during the Indiana Pacers’ run from a few years ago.
Scott Brooks on Paul George: "He is one of the best in the league. Guarding anyone on the floor is what makes him, well, not an All-Star, but we all know he is. He's the best two-way player in basketball."
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 26, 2018
It also goes without saying that Russell Westbrook will be a handful too.
With Jackson sidelined they’ll, unfortunately, be unable to rekindle their rivalry but knowing Westbrook that isn’t going to make him less motivated in the slightest.
Avery Bradley, who did a superb job guarding Donovan Mitchell in the Pistons’ close loss last game, will have his hands full from buzzer to buzzer.
Bradley has been struggling badly on the offensive end, but if he’s putting the clamps on Westbrook while he’s on the court those offensive woes are negated.
While the Pistons may be coming into this game on the back of a string of losses, they still have a couple players of their own who are in good form.
Andre Drummond and many fans around the league felt he was snubbed for the All-Star game and he looked like he was for revenge against the Utah Jazz.
Drummond posted a monstrous 30 points, 24 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and six blocks, a stat line that has literally never happened before in NBA history.
Despite possessing a giant big man of their own in Rudy Gobert, the Jazz had absolutely no answers for him.
Against the Thunder Drummond will find him again facing another strong big man in Steven Adams.
Adams currently leads the league in offensive rebounds with 5.1 per game, just ahead of Drummond’s 5.0 per game.
The battle on the glass is sure to be fascinating and will undoubtedly get physical at times between the two.
The other in-form Piston is rookie Luke Kennard.
In his past three games, he’s averaging 13 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists off the bench.
Kennard is also shooting the ball at 48 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three across this stretch.
The rookie has been a shining light during a very rough period and he is forcing Stan Van Gundy to give an increased role.
On paper, it looks like the Thunder should walk away with a win and if Reggie Bullock is unable to play that makes the task even tougher.
However, the Pistons have proven they can compete with good teams, even across this woeful stretch without Reggie Jackson.
Unfortunately, too many times they shoot themselves in the foot with poor third quarter performances.
They have been outscored in the third quarter for six straight games, which just so happens to coincide with this six-game losing streak.
More often than not the Pistons are able to hang with most teams for three quarters, but if they allow a team like the Thunder to run riot in the third on Saturday night then they’re no chance at taking home a win.