Thunder bounce back from historic loss, beat Pistons to snap skid

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder gives fists bumps after the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 06, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder gives fists bumps after the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on December 06, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.  Nic Antaya/Getty Images/AFP 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and 13 assists and Oklahoma City bounced back from the most lopsided loss in NBA history and ended an eight-game losing streak by rallying past the host Detroit Pistons 114-103 on Monday.

Luguentz Dort supplied 28 points for the Thunder, who lost by an NBA-record 73 points to Memphis in their last game on Thursday. Kenrich Williams and Josh Giddey tossed in 12 points apiece for Oklahoma City, which outscored Detroit 42-22 in the fourth quarter.

Cade Cunningham’s 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists led the Pistons, who squandered a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost for the ninth consecutive time. Jerami Grant had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists and Saddiq Bey added 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Pistons had three players in double figures by halftime while racing to a 63-50 lead. Cunningham led the way with 15 points as Detroit made 10 of 19 3-point attempts prior to the break. Gilgeous-Alexander had 14 points for the Thunder.

Detroit, which held a 37-28 lead after the first quarter, led by as many as 18.

The Pistons led 73-57 four minutes into the third quarter after a Cunningham 3-pointer. Oklahoma City then went on a 10-0 run that included six points for Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder didn’t get any closer the remainder of the quarter, as Detroit carried an 81-72 lead into the fourth quarter.

Trey Lyles made a 3-pointer to give the Pistons a 12-point advantage. Oklahoma City then went on a 9-0 spurt that included a dunk, two assists and a block by Williams.

The teams traded baskets midway through the quarter and when Dort made a 3-pointer with 4:44 left, Oklahoma City trailed 97-94. A Mike Muscala dunk cut Detroit’s lead to one and a Gilgeous-Alexander layup gave the Thunder the lead. Muscala then hit a 3-pointer and Dort converted a three-point play to finish off a 13-0 run.

That made it 104-97 with 2:43 left, and the Pistons couldn’t get closer than five points the rest of the way.

Field Level Media

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