Oklahoma City Thunder 99, Detroit Pistons 79: 2011-2012 Game 17 Quick Recap; Dangerously Destroying Detroit Despite Daye

Yahoo! Sports Box Score:

What is your initial reaction to tonight's result?

Excellent! Tonight was an easy, easy win. The game was pretty much over from the moment it started, with the Thunder dominating offensively, and locking down the paint defensively. The Thunder exploited one-on-one mismatches constantly, and Detroit frequently resorted to bad threes or well-covered drives.

What was tonight's turning point?

There was no turning point per se. But with 4:31 to go in the third, the Pistons got within 19 on Tayshaun Prince jumper. Durant immediately responded with a turnaround jumper in Prince's face, and it just got worse for the Pistons from there. At that point, all hope of a comeback had been shot.

What was, overall, the main reason the Thunder lost/won?

Offensive ball movement. Early on, Durant and Westbrook were tag teaming with the ball, finding ways to get themselves to high percentage shots. Later, Reggie Jackson did an excellent job of running the offense, actually handling the ball and gaining a "sixth sense" of where other players were on the floor. Lastly, the Thunder continually found guys open on the perimeter, leading to some easy scores.

What's the key statistic to understanding tonight's game?

53% shooting from the field, which shows just how easily the Thunder were knocking the shots down tonight.

What does this game mean for the Thunder today and moving forward?

The win moves the Thunder to 14-3. With Chicago's win over the Nets tonight, it keeps the Thunder a half a game behind the NBA's best record. Denver remains 1.5 games back for the Conference and division lead. This win also gives the Thunder some offensive and rebounding confidence that they'll need moving forward.

Thunder Wonder: James Harden, 24 Points, 5 Rebounds, 4 Assists

Thunder Down Under: Russell Westbrook, 24 Points, 5 Rebounds, 6 Assists

Thunder Blunder: Serge Ibaka, 3-10 Shooting

Thunder Plunderer: Tayshaun Prince, 9 Points, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal

Next Game: Versus the New Orleans Hornets, Wednesday, January 25th, 7PM Central Standard Time