Oklahoma City Thunder (60-16) beat Detroit Pistons (54-21) 114-110 at home on Monday, March 30 in overtime.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Thunder had the better start, winning the first 31-24 to lead by 7 after one. The Thunder kept the pressure on with a 22-19 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Pistons won the third 31-26 to stay in front, taking a 5-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons answered with a 27-22 fourth quarter, forcing overtime at 101.
The Thunder finally separated the teams in overtime, winning it 13-9 to close out a 114-110 victory.
What decided it
The Thunder made 34.6 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 12.4 for the Pistons. The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 53.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.5% for the Pistons. In a 4-point game, the points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
The Pistons did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 29.4% against 16.2%. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 107 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 106.4 points per 100 possessions to 102.7 for the Pistons.
Who stepped up
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 47 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast on 12-19 shooting. His Game Score of 37.7 led everyone. His team was +8 with him on the floor.
Paul Reed led the Pistons with 21 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 4 blk on 7-13 shooting, good for a 19.9 Game Score.
Paul Reed (21 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 71% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 2-1.
The Thunder are now 60-16, and the Pistons are 54-21. The Thunder last five before this game: W-W-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.