Depleted Detroit Pistons drag West-best Thunder into OT before falling

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Detroit Pistons nearly took down the defending champs in their own arena without four starters. An MVP-caliber performance by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander allowed the Oklahoma City Thunder to escape. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 47 points, and knocked down 21 of his 25 free throws, to put away the Pistons in overtime, 114-110, on Monday, March 30.

Three free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander with 48.3 seconds left in overtime extended the Thunder's lead to five, 111-106. He then split a trip with 13.3 seconds left, with Ron Holland fouling out, to extend the lead back to four to secure the win for Oklahoma City (after Paul Reed cut it to two with a pair of free throws). After a hot second half, the Pistons went cold in OT, shooting 3-for-11 in the final five minutes.

They were without Ausar Thompson (eight points, seven rebounds and five assists) in the extra period, after he fouled out late in the fourth quarter.

Looking Ahead

: Ranking the Detroit Pistons' potential first round playoff matchups With less than 24 seconds left and a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, Daniss Jenkins turned the ball over with a bad pass. Gilgeous-Alexander nearly made the Pistons pay, sinking a 3-pointer with four seconds left and the game tied at 101.

However, the bucket didn't count because he pushed off. Jenkins' 3-pointer at the buzzer missed, leading to overtime. Detroit Pistons playoff picture With the loss, the Pistons (54-21) missed out on a chance to clinch the Central Division, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, eight games back with eight games to play entering Monday, also winning.

Still, the Pistons are seven games up with seven to play, with a tiebreaker (division record) yet to be decided. Even with the loss, the Pistons – who’ve locked up a playoff spot and homecourt in the first round – edged closer to clinching the top spot in the East, as the Boston Celtics, who entered four games back of the Pistons, lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. That dropped the Pistons’ “magic number” (any combo of Pistons wins and Celtics losses) to lock up the East down to three.

Next up for the Pistons It’s a super-short turnaround for the Pistons, who jet back to Detroit to host the Toronto Raptors (42-

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35. Toronto is tied with Atlanta in the fifth and sixth spots in the Eastern Conference. Detroit Pistons walking wounded The Pistons were severely shorthanded, with Jalen Duren (right ankle injury management), Tobias Harris (left hip) and Duncan Robinson (right hip) all missing the game, along with the previously ruled-out Cade Cunningham (left lung pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain).

They leaned on their depth, with two-way big Tolu Smith and 2025 second-round pick Chaz Lanier rounding out coach J.

B. Bickerstaff's rotation. Several players stepped up, with Reed (21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks) leading the way. Javonte Green finished with 19 points and knocked down a season-high five 3-pointers.

Kevin Huerter (17 points, six assists, six rebounds), Jenkins (15 points, six assists), Marcus Sasser (12 points, four assists) and Caris LeVert (10 points) also scored in double figures. Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 47 points. Second-half rally for the Pistons With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, two big offensive rebounds by Smith allowed the Pistons to take their biggest lead of the night.

The possession ended with a 3-pointer by Jenkins, giving the Pistons a 97-90 lead. But the defending champions battled back, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. He went on a personal 6-0 run, and a corner 3-pointer by Thunder center Jaylin Williams later tied the game at 99 with 1:35 to play.

The Pistons trailed by as many as 15 in the first half but outscored the Thunder in the second half, 58-48. The Pistons made nine of their 17 3-point attempts through the final two quarters and shot 60% overall, while holding the Thunder to 44%. Through the first four periods, they scored 22 points off of 17 Thunder turnovers.

The Pistons also owned the offensive glass, grabbing 15 to the Thunder's six. It allowed them a 16-4 lead in second chance points. Javonte Green delivers season-best performance The veteran guard has been an unsung contributor all season.

His perimeter defense and 3-point shooting, particularly from the corners, has made him a key glue guy with the second unit. As a starter on Monday, he stepped up and gave one of his best performances in a Pistons uniform. His five 3-pointers marked a season-high, and all five were timely.

His fifth came midway through the fourth period and gave the Pistons the lead during their fourth-quarter push, 90-89. He led an all-around hot night from beyond the arc, and did so while also picking up Gilgeous-Alexander defensively throughout the night. Defense, outside shooting clicks after first quarter Trailing by 15 points with under nine minutes left in the second quarter, the Pistons nearly let the game get away.

But they responded by locking down defensively and heating up from the arc, which sparked a run and enabled them to take control of the game in the second half. They held the Thunder to 36.4% shooting (8-for-

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25. in the first. The Pistons caught fire from the arc in the second half after shooting 30% (6-for-
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