Detroit Pistons (43-14) beat Oklahoma City Thunder (45-15) 124-116 at home on Wednesday, February 25, after falling far behind. The Pistons were down 12 at one quarter break and still finished 8 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder struck first, taking the opening quarter 34-22 and a 12-point lead after one. The Pistons moved in front with a 36-18 second quarter, carrying a 6-point lead into halftime.
The Pistons won the third 36-28 to create some separation, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 36-30; the Pistons held on for a 124-116 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Pistons grabbed 39% of their own misses, while the Thunder recovered 25%. The Pistons got more from their shots, finishing at 59% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50% for the Thunder. The second chances kept adding up.
The Thunder did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 12.2 against 15.1. The Pistons made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Pistons produced 120.6 points per 100 possessions to 112.8 for the Thunder.
The Pistons' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 35-20.
Who carried the comeback
Jalen Duren was the game's biggest individual force for DET: 29 pts, 15 reb, 2 ast on 12-17 shooting. His Game Score of 28.9 led everyone. His team was +12 with him on the floor.
Jaylin Williams led the Thunder with 30 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast on 9-14 shooting, good for a 26.8 Game Score.
Jalen Duren (29 pts, 15 reb, 2 ast), Cade Cunningham (29 pts, 4 reb, 13 ast), and Jaylin Williams (30 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 60% for the Pistons.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 2-0.
The Pistons are now 43-14, and the Thunder are 45-15. The Pistons last five before this game: W-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.