Shai Saves the Thunder (Again) in Win Over Pistons: The Day After Report

Box Score | Play-by-Play

Shai won a nailbiter against the Pistons in epic fashion with an MJ-like sequence: Tie game. Shai steals the ball at halfcourt with 13 seconds remaining. He walks it down the court, loses his defender, and drains the game-winning three with 4 seconds left on the clock.

Or so we thought. As Loud City erupted, the whistle—an offensive foul called for a push-off prior to the shot—couldn’t be heard. But the shot didn’t count, and after a missed heave from Detroit, Shai had to go back to work in overtime.

And he did. 8 more points, leading the Thunder to another clutch win and keeping OKC atop the standings. Shai’s claim to the #1 seed and the MVP trophy: still intact.

Final: Thunder (60-16) def. Pistons (54-21), 114-110 (OT)

Nuggets and Notes

• A foul drawn by Shai on a three-pointer in OT put the game out of reach for good. Even Steven?

• Detroit is still without Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart, and they sat Jalen Duren, Duncan Robinson, and Tobias Harris. OKC has been easing into their finally-healthy roster availability, sitting Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein for the back-to-back.

• So we got a slugfest between the league’s two best defenses, both down some of their better offensive weapons. Whodathunkit.

• The Thunder led all game, but never comfortably. Detroit eventually took the lead with Shai on the bench midway through the fourth quarter, 85-83. SGA hit all of his shots in the last frame, but Detroit didn’t go away—they extended their lead to 97-90 thanks to threes from their role players. Javonte Green made career-high 5 from deep, and bombs from Kevin Huerter, Daniss Jenkins, and Caris LeVert almost won the upset for Detroit.

• The NBC broadcast team thought the foul on Shai was a ticky-tack call in a big moment, like the one that took Chet out of the game a couple possessions before. But they were fouls, and they didn’t cost OKC the game. That NBA Twitter will spin that sequence into the braindead free throw conspiracy is annoying. Here’s some logic that gets lost on many: OKC wins despite calls going against them /=/ OKC wins because calls go in their favor.

• Other than the first quarter and overtime, OKC continued to struggle on offense. The Thunder’s shooting, analyzed:

• Had Shai’s shot counted, he would’ve finished with 42 points on 12-19 shooting and 15-18 free throws. Instead, he racked 47 and ended up 21-25 from the line. The Pistons were a combined 12-23 from the line. Had they countered OKC’s abysmal shooting with passable free throw shooting, Detroit probably would’ve won this game.

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