Game ID: 22300109
Detroit Pistons @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, October 30, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 33 26 32 33 124DET 21 26 32 33 112
DET @ OKC ScoutingDET @ OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
OKC availability going into 10/25 · season opener
full strength
OKC availability going into 10/27 · 1 day's rest
full strength
OKC availability going into 10/29 · 1 day's rest
full strength
OKC availability going into 10/30 · back-to-back
full strength
OKC availability going into 11/01 · 1 day's restNEW Dieng 10 to 16 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 11/03 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 2 since 10/30, returns tonight: 12 min (101% of 12)
OKC availability going into 11/06 · 2 days' restBACK Micić back 11/03 after 2, 12 min since (101% of 12)
OKC availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restBACK Micić back 11/03 after 2, 12 min since (101% of 12)
DET availability going into 10/25 · season opener
full strength
DET availability going into 10/27 · 1 day's rest
full strength
DET availability going into 10/28 · back-to-backOUT Wiseman missed 2 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Rhoden missed 2 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Umude missed 2 since 10/25, returns tonight: 1 min (5% of 13)
DET availability going into 10/30 · 1 day's restOUT Wiseman missed 3 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Rhoden missed 3 since 10/25, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 14)
BACK Umude back 10/28 after 2, 1 min since (5% of 13)
NEW Burks 21 to 27 min over the last 3
DET availability going into 11/01 · 1 day's restOUT Wiseman missed 4 since 10/25, returns tonight: 6 min (36% of 17)
BACK Rhoden back 10/30 after 3, 2 min since (12% of 14)
BACK Umude back 10/28 after 2, 1 min since (10% of 13)
DET availability going into 11/02 · back-to-backBACK Wiseman back 11/01 after 4, 6 min since (36% of 17)
BACK Rhoden back 10/30 after 3, 2 min since (12% of 14)
BACK Umude back 10/28 after 2, 5 min since (38% of 13)
DET availability going into 11/05 · 2 days' restOUT Burks missed 2 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Rhoden missed 2 since 11/01, returns tonight: 3 min (18% of 14)
BACK Wiseman back 11/01 after 4, 6 min since (36% of 17)
BACK Umude back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (30% of 13)
DET availability going into 11/06 · back-to-backOUT Burks missed 3 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Wiseman missed 2 since 11/02, returns tonight: 11 min (62% of 17)
BACK Rhoden back 10/30 after 3, 2 min since (15% of 14)
BACK Umude back 10/28 after 2, 4 min since (31% of 13)
NEW Thompson 25 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hayes 24 to 30 min over the last 5
10/25 @ CHI 124-104 — OKC notes
OKC won 124-104. OKC shot 55% (45 of 82) to CHI's 41%, 19 of 39 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (12 of 18, 2 of 5 from three); Williams added 16, Giddey 16. The hinge was Q4, 33-22: a lead of 9 became 20. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
10/27 @ CLE 108-105 — OKC notes
OKC won 108-105. OKC shot 46% (40 of 87) to CLE's 41%, 13 of 26 from three. OKC turned it over 18 times to CLE's 13, and CLE turned those into 10 steals. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (15 of 26); Dort added 25, Holmgren 16. The hinge was Q1, 31-26: from level to 5 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Joe was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
10/29 vs DEN 95-128 — OKC notes
OKC lost 95-128. OKC shot 41% (37 of 90) to DEN's 60%, 6 of 32 from three. The glass went 29-48 against them. Holmgren led with 19 (7 of 12, 1 of 4 from three); Williams added 13, Mann 12. Q3 was theirs, 24-28, but the other 3 periods went 100-71 against them. Holmgren's -23 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/30 vs DET 124-112 — OKC notes
OKC won 124-112. OKC shot 53% (44 of 83) to DET's 43%, 13 of 29 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (11 of 23, 1 of 3 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Giddey added 21, Williams 19. The hinge was Q1, 33-21: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
11/03 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 25 and Jal. Williams at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 104, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Thompson at 16 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-1 a night and OKC minus-5 and the defense, Golden State allowing 104 a night to OKC's 112. Call it Golden State 111, OKC 109, OKC keeping it close.
11/06 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 23 and Holmgren at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest. Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Murray at 24 and Young at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Fernando (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-9 a night and OKC minus-6. Call it Atlanta 120, OKC 116, OKC keeping it close.
11/08 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 122, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 22 and Holmgren at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and LeVert at 18 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-0 a night and OKC minus-8 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to OKC's 122. Call it OKC 115, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
10/25 @ MIA 102-103 — DET notes
DET lost 102-103. DET shot 45% (41 of 92) to MIA's 40%, 11 of 32 from three, and got to the line 15 times to MIA's 26. DET turned it over 16 times to MIA's 7, and MIA turned those into 11 steals. Cunningham led with 30 (13 of 27, 4 of 9 from three); Duren added 17, Stewart 14. Q4 was theirs, 27-20, the deficit cut from 8 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 83-75 against them. Thompson's -14 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/27 @ CHA 111-99 — DET notes
DET won 111-99. DET shot 45% (40 of 88) to CHA's 38%, 10 of 30 from three, and got to the line 25 times to CHA's 34. DET turned it over 23 times to CHA's 18, and CHA turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 53-41 for them. Burks led with 24 (5 of 10, 3 of 7 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Ivey added 18, Stewart 15. The hinge was Q1, 32-21: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Burks was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
10/28 vs CHI 118-102 — DET notes
DET won 118-102. DET shot 52% (45 of 86) to CHI's 42%, 12 of 28 from three. DET turned it over 15 times to CHI's 8, and CHI turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 53-33 for them. Cunningham led with 25 (9 of 19, 1 of 4 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Duren added 23, Burks 18. The hinge was Q2, 28-18: a lead of 3 became 13, and the lead reached 19. Burks was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
10/30 @ OKC 112-124 — DET notes
DET lost 112-124. DET took 8 more shots (91 to 83), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to OKC's 53%, 15 of 28 from three. Ivey led with 20 (7 of 13, 4 of 6 from three); Cunningham added 17, Thompson 15. Q2 was theirs, 26-26, but the other 3 periods went 98-86 against them. Hayes's -15 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/05 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Cunningham at 21 and Burks at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Burks (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 30 and Gordon at 15 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Detroit has been plus-7 a night and Phoenix minus-2 and the arc, Detroit at 40 percent from three to Phoenix's 36. Call it Detroit 113, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/06 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 116, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Cunningham at 24 and Thompson at 14 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Burks (3 straight), Wiseman (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Golden State comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Curry at 29 and Thompson at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Golden State wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Golden State 113, Detroit 112, Detroit keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DETAB A. Burks
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Cunningham
IS I. Stewart
JD J. Duren
JH J. Harris
JI J. Ivey
JR J. Rhoden
KH K. Hayes
MB M. Bagley III
MS M. Sasser
SU S. Umude
OKCAP A. Pokusevski
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
DB D. Bertans
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
LD L. Dort
OD O. Dieng
OS O. Sarr
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
DET/OKC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 32 as Thunder top Pistons 124-112
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Thunder coach Mark Daigneault got the response he was hoping for.
Daigneault wondered before Monday night's game against the Detroit Pistons what his players' approach would be a day after Oklahoma City was blown out by Denver.
They were up to the task. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points to help the Thunder beat the Pistons 124-112.
“Obviously, we did a really good job of getting to zero and zero," Daigneault said. "And that is a critical skill in the NBA that scales and applies to every game. You know, whether you’re coming off a good game, winning streak, bad game, losing streak, you've got to wake up zero and zero. I thought the guys did a great job of that today with very little nudge on our part. I thought they got themselves there.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, a first-team All-NBA selection last season, made 11 of 23 field goals and had nine rebounds. He bounced back after scoring seven points on 2-for-16 shooting in Sunday's 128-95 loss to the Nuggets.
“Not surprised,” Daigneault said. “I mean, he’s as steady as they come. If there’s one thing that we’ve learned from him over the last few years, it’s that his ability to stay consistent through the ups and downs of a season is very impressive.”
Gilgeous-Alexander didn't have it easy — rookie Ausar Thompson embraced the opportunity to guard one of the league's elite scorers.
“He’s an impressive competitor,” Daigneault said of Thompson. “Great athlete, tough. The best defenders in the NBA have a mindset. They’re not shutting anybody out, but they’re making the other team earn it. And I thought he made Shai earn it tonight.”
Josh Giddey scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half and Jalen Williams added 19 points for Oklahoma City (3-1), which won at home for the first time this season.
“They were physical all night long,” Detroit coach Monty Williams said. “They had a tough, tough loss last night. We knew they were going to come in like a wounded animal. And they played with a lot more physicality and fight than we did for long stretches.”
Oklahoma City shot 53% from the field.
“We have to stick to our identity, which is defending, is playing with great effort and having great discipline,” Williams said. “And tonight was one of the first times I didn’t see the discipline at a great, great level. It was inconsistent.”
Jaden Ivey scored 20 points off the bench for Detroit. Cade Cunningham scored 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting, and Thompson had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Pistons.
Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren made all three of his 3-point attempts in the first quarter to help the Thunder take a 33-21 lead. Oklahoma City led 59-47 at halftime behind Gilgeous-Alexander's 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Thunder held Detroit to 35.4% shooting before the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 points in the third quarter, including a two-handed dunk over Ivey and Joe Harris in the final minute of the period. Oklahoma City led 91-79 entering the fourth.
The Thunder opened the final period with an 8-3 run that included 3-pointers by Ousmane Dieng and Williams. The largest lead for the Thunder was 21 points.