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.