Detroit Pistons defeat Thunder 97-91 in preseason opener
Andre Drummond led all scorers with 31 points, as the Detroit Pistons topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-91 on Wednesday night. Detroit is back in action on Friday when they visit the San Antonio Spurs.
While most of the superstars were inactive, there was no shortage of fire power.
Tempers flared at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday night, where the Detroit Pistons wrestled out a 97-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Andre Drummond led all scorers with 31 points and 16 rebounds. Five Pistons finished in double figures, as Detroit improved to 1-0 in the preseason.
Reggie Jackson (right ankle rehab) and Jon Leuer (left ankle rehab) sat out due to injuries. Blake Griffin appeared to be a healthy scratch. According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, the power forward didn’t participate in any warm-up drills.
Russell Westbrook (right knee scope) and Paul George (personal reasons) were inactive for Oklahoma City.
Those absences left the Pistons with several interesting lineups. But hey, that’s the preseason.
Detroit got off to a rocky start following Stanley Johnson‘s 3-pointer that opened the scoring. They committed some quick fouls, and despite plenty of off-ball movement, were out of sync offensively.
Dennis Schroder’s triple at the 7:03 mark capped off an 8-0 Thunder run, prompting Dwane Casey to call a timeout with his team trailing 14-8.
The Pistons found their stride midway through the first quarter. Zaza Pachulia had six points in the period, including a jumper off a nice feed from Ish Smith. Luke Kennard added five points in a 22-second span. But it was Johnson who quickly stole the show.
The small forward finished with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting. He went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out six assists. He held his own offensively, posting up smaller defenders, slicing into the lane, and connecting on catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Johnson’s play on both ends of the floor kept the Pistons within striking distance. While he did commit six turnovers, he played with poise and confidence – characteristics that were largely absent in his previous two seasons.
Trailing 52-49 at the half, the Pistons went on a 9-1 run to open the third quarter.
Drummond shook off a sub-par first half and imposed his will down low. As for his 3-point shooting? It still needs a lot of work, having missed all three of his attempts from deep.
Something appeared off with Drummond’s outside shot, particularly his lack elevation. As one Twitter user pointed out, this wasn’t the same form that he displayed last week in Ann Arbor.
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Neither team held a lead larger than 10 points. Pair that with the 55 personal fouls that were committed, and you’re bound to have some chippy moments.
The Detroit Pistons will continue their preseason schedule on Friday, when they visit the San Antonio Spurs. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. on 97.1 FM The Ticket.