Oklahoma City (3-26) at Detroit (15-11)
Currently: - Game info: 8:00 pm EST Fri Dec 26, 2008
- TV: FSD
The Detroit Pistons haven’t been the dominant team some expected since acquiring Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets last month.
But on Friday night, they may not need a dominant performance as they host a reeling Oklahoma City Thunder team that’s dropped 13 of 14 on the road.
Detroit (15-11) returns home following Tuesday’s 104-98 victory over visiting Chicago that snapped a two-game losing streak. Second-year guard Rodney Stuckey hit 15-of-24 shots and scored a career-high 40 points as Iverson watched from the bench after straining his left groin with 8:53 remaining in the third quarter.
“We came out slow in the third quarter and I knew I had to pick it up,” said Stuckey, averaging 18.4 points and 7.4 assists in seven games since being inserted into the starting lineup.
Iverson, meanwhile, is averaging just 7.5 points in his last two contests. In 22 games with the Pistons—Detroit is just 11-11—Iverson is scoring 18.0 points per game. He’s been held to single-digit scoring four times in the last 17 games. In the previous seven seasons combined, Iverson has scored fewer than 10 points in a game just four times.
Tuesday’s 0-of-7 shooting performance was Iverson’s second career game without a basket. The other was an 0-of-7 effort in Philadelphia’s 85-80 loss to Cleveland on April 2, 1999.
Playing with the Nuggets, Iverson averaged 26.5 points and 9.8 assists versus the Oklahoma City franchise in 2007-08.
“Hopefully, with a couple days’ rest, he’ll be able to go on Friday,” Detroit coach Michael Curry said following Tuesday’s game.
Even if Iverson can’t, the Pistons should be fine against a Thunder squad that hasn’t won on the road since defeating Memphis 111-103 on Nov. 29 for its lone victory outside Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City (3-26) makes its first appearance in Detroit on Friday following Tuesday night’s 99-88 loss at Atlanta—its sixth consecutive defeat on the road. The Thunder had lost their previous five road games by an average of just 6.0 points while shooting 47.5 percent from the field. Facing the Hawks, though, they hit just 37.4 percent.
“They hit a lot of big shots tonight and they got a lot of stops,” said Kevin Durant, who scored 28 against Atlanta—his career-high eighth straight game with 20 or more points. “That’s why they’re a playoff team. Teams make their run, but we can’t allow that. We could have made more shots but we didn’t.”
Facing a Pistons club that’s held its last five opponents to a combined 42.2 percent shooting may not be the best remedy for the Thunder, the league’s 28th-ranked shooting team at 43.3 percent.
Oklahoma City, however, could have an edge on the boards against the Pistons, the NBA’s 25th-ranked rebounding team at 39.8 per game. Led by a career-high 14 from Jeff Green and season-high 12 from Chris Wilcox, the Thunder grabbed 52 rebounds against the Hawks.
Oklahoma City has outrebounded seven of its last eight opponents, averaging 45.3 boards during this stretch.
Nick Collison, who is averaging 7.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 2008-09, missed Tuesday’s game after breaking his left thumb in the Thunder’s 102-91 loss to Cleveland on Sunday. He practiced on Wednesday and could face the Pistons.
Detroit has won 11 of its last 13 home games against the Oklahoma City franchise.
Team Comparison
| Team | Record | Standings | PF | PA | Road/Home | Streak | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City | 23-59 | 5th Northwest / 13th West | 97.0 | 103.1 | Road 8-33 | Won 1 | 3-7 |
| Detroit | 39-43 | 3rd Central / 8th East | 94.2 | 94.7 | Home 21-20 | Lost 3 | 4-6 |
Blog Coverage from SB Nation
Welcome to Loud City
Motown String MusicNotes
F Kevin Durant graded himself as OK for the season even though he raised his average in both points (by five) and rebounds (plus-2.2). "I need to get better on defense and finding my teammates for open shots," the second pick of the 2007 draft said. ... Six players scored in double figures for Oklahoma City. ... The Thunder claimed a 62-42 advantage on points in the paint against the Clippers.
Apr 16, 1:30 am EDT
21 The Pistons missed 12 of their final 15 shots in the first half en route to falling behind by 12 points at the half. They also finished 2-of-12 on 3-pointers. ... The last time that the Pistons failed to win a playoff series was in 2000, when they were swept in a five-game series by Miami. ... The NBA coach's association has dedicated the playoffs to former Pistons and Olympic coach Chuck Daly, who is battling pancreatic cancer. Both Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and Pistons coach Michael Curry reflected on Daly before the game. "He has touched a lot of different coaches," Curry said. "His impact is felt around the league, and I think honoring him now so he can see it, is a tremendous honor."
Apr 18, 7:04 pm EDT