Harris Leads Pistons Past Thunder, 104-88
AUBURN HILLS (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 22 points, Aron Baynes added 20 points and eight rebounds and the short-handed Detroit Pistons beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 104-88 on Monday night.
The Pistons (6-5) improved to 5-0 at home despite being without their two best players. Reggie Jackson hasn't played this season due to knee tendinitis, and Andre Drummond was sidelined with a sprained ankle.
Russell Westbrook had 33 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Oklahoma City (6-5), which has dropped four in a row. Victor Oladipo finished with nine points, but he was the only other starter to score more than four.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 17 points for Detroit.
The Pistons used their post players to build a 59-47 halftime lead despite Westbrook's 25 points. Oklahoma City missed nine of 10 3-point attempts in the half, and Oladipo went 1 for 7 from the floor. Harris and Baynes each scored 13 points.
Detroit led by as many as 19 in the third, but its reserves didn't have as much success as they had in the first half. The Thunder finished the quarter with a 13-2 run to trail 78-68.
Despite Westbrook's best efforts, the Thunder couldn't put together a serious run down the stretch. On several occasions, he was able to pull defenders toward him and find an open teammate, only for them to badly miss the shot.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Westbrook scored Oklahoma City's last 14 points in the first half. ... Jerami Grant and Enes Kanter combined to hit nine of 16 shots in the first three quarters, helping keep Oklahoma City in the game. ... Westbrook picked up a technical foul in the first half for an accidental low blow against Caldwell-Pope.
Pistons: Detroit is the last team in the NBA to be undefeated at home. ... With Drummond sidelined, the Pistons only grabbed one offensive rebound in the first half. ... Baynes got hit on his protective mask by Westbrook late in the fourth, and needed medical attention to stop the bleeding from his previously broken nose.
JUST TOO LATE
Westbrook almost had 28 first-half points, but a replay review showed his 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer was still in his hand when time expired.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Return home to host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Pistons: Travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks on Wednesday. Detroit beat the Knicks 102-89 on Nov. 1 behind 25 points from Harris. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 24 points.
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