The Pistons won 120-104 against the Thunder, and their main player, Cunningham, remained sidelined, while the Pistons began their all-round attack. From the very beginning of the game, the Thunder had an absolute advantage, Alexander broke out in an all-round way, Jalen Williams was both offensive and defensive, and Chet also performed well. Led by Sanshao, the Thunder led 31-24 in the first quarter. It seems like a winning game, but it's not that simple.
In the second quarter, Duren, Ivey, Burks, Suser and others began to fight back. The Pistons also had a 46-30 surge in the first quarter, and after halftime, they still maintained a nine-point advantage. In the second half, there were attacks and defenses against each other, and the score remained around 10 points throughout. However, in the final quarter, the Pistons took the lead in finding their touch and scored three consecutive points to further expand the score. In the second half, Alexander was sent off by the referee at the 29th minute.
Alexander scored 31 points, Jay had 20 and Chandler had nine. The Pistons' side is full of firepower, Duren 22 points, Ivey 19 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Bogdan 17 points, Stewart 11 points, Burks 10 points, Suser 12 points, after this game, the Thunder's ranking in the East has become very dangerous, after all, the Clippers are going to play the Cavaliers, and the Thunder are going to play Minnesota. If the Clippers can beat the Cavaliers tomorrow, then whether it is the Thunder or the Timberwolves, the Clippers can directly enter the second place in the West.
In addition, the Clippers' game was not very difficult, after they easily defeated the Raptors and swept the Celtics, the rest of the game was a piece of cake for the Clippers. That said, next season, the Clippers have a good chance of being the first in the West. And the Clippers aren't in great shape, and Zubac is also injured. Once Zubac returns, the Clippers will finish the game in the best possible shape, and they will have a good chance of becoming the league's champions at that point.
The Clippers have been the number one team in the league in recent times, and they don't seem to be afraid of anything. A strong forward line and a combination of attacking and defending Kajiao have built up a defensive line that can make opponents tired. In their starting lineup, there is Mann, although Harden is not moving fast enough, but he is still excellent in other aspects, his low post defense ability is the best in the world, and his steals and defensive ability will be greatly improved.
Harden's entry into the league has attracted a lot of attention, but now, they are winning one victory after another. And Ballmer also made everyone understand how rich he was. Ballmer, however, personally gave the order to fire Harden. He also used his connections to bring Philadelphia in. We all know that the Clippers have championship hopes. As Harden said, the Clippers today are no longer the genius of the Rockets 18 years ago.
At that time, the Rockets had Curry, Thompson, and Durant, and they were all the best. In this case, what other team in the West can stand up to the Clippers? The Timberwolves lack talent and experience in the playoffs, while the Thunder are a young team and the Nuggets are the only team. But a team that has won a championship has struggled to win back-to-back championships, which has led to a decline in the Nuggets' dominance this season. The Clippers, on the other hand, are united, with all four looking to prove themselves again. With this mentality, the Clippers do have the quality to win the championship. If the Clippers win the championship this year, then Ballmer will be the biggest winner. This trade is a huge asset for the Clippers. The Big Four don't retire in a year, they can stay there for two or three years.