DETROIT — The buzzer sounded, but it might as well have been a boxing bell.
That would’ve been more appropriate for Wednesday’s game between OKC and Detroit, two heavyweights of their respective conferences, in the city that raised the likes of Joe Louis and Thomas Hearns. And when the third quarter ended, the Thunder showed clear signs of damage.
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It trailed by 14 points and was down to just nine available players due to various injuries. Add a hostile road environment, and plenty of other teams would’ve thrown in the towel. But there was none of that going on in OKC’s corner.
“It’s fun,” Thunder forward Jaylin Williams said of the challenge. “It’s fun to go out there and compete when you feel like everybody doesn’t expect you to be in a game.”
OKC certainly competed until the very end of what was ultimately a 124-116 road loss.
The Thunder (45-15) hit the hardwood for loose balls, scrapped for second chances on the boards and played its bruising brand of defense. It even trimmed the deficit to three points at the 5:06 mark before the Pistons placed the finishing touches.
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It was a valiant effort by an OKC team that didn’t have its heavy hitters. There was no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell or Alex Caruso for the entire night. And there was no Isaiah Joe or Branden Carlson for the second half.
But there were also no excuses made.
“Obviously, I was really happy with the compete level and the resilience,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “In the third quarter, the game got away from us a little bit, and it looked like it had the potential to be a runaway (game). The group to start the fourth quarter did a great job of getting that under 10 and getting it in striking distance. … It was a really good job by the guys who went to gut that out.
“We’ve got the wind in our face a little bit physically. But the guys who played tonight laid it on the line.”
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This isn’t the first time OKC has had to pick itself up off the canvas. Its depth chart has taken more than its fair share of hits all season.
But the damage is only external. The mindset doesn’t change for the Thunder’s players, who keep rolling with the punches.
“It shows a lot,” Williams said of OKC’s performance Wednesday. “It shows that our organization and our team is so great at keeping guys ready for the moment or whatever situation it is. You kind of never know who’s gonna step up. You never know how many shots you’re gonna get or what’s gonna happen. You just have a bunch of guys who are willing to go out there and do whatever it takes to win. I think that just shows how connected our team is. …
“You go out there and play your game, and what happens happens.”
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Here are three takeaways from the loss:
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Jaylin Williams stood tall after early injury
After coming up limping on a layup midway through the first quarter, Jaylin Williams hobbled toward the bench.
The discomfort was all over the big man’s face, which usually sports a smile. But Williams never sat in his seat during the ensuing timeout. He stood the entire time, jumping up and down to put some weight on his left ankle.
The Thunder already had enough guys sitting, and it wouldn’t have had much of a leg to stand on if Williams was also sidelined. So he walked back onto the court once the timeout ended, and he continued to deliver some much-needed production throughout the night.
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Williams helped facilitate OKC’s offense with his playmaking. He spaced the floor with his 3-point shooting. And he put his conditioning to the test on a night when Carlson also exited the game due to low back soreness and didn’t return.
Williams finished with a career-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds and four assists on 9-for-14 shooting from the field (5 for 10 from deep) in 35 minutes.
“My whole life, I’ve always been the type of player to play through injuries,” Williams said. “It’s something my dad kind of instilled in me, that there’s somebody always worse than you. I’ve always been the type of player to play through injuries, and I’ll always give my all to the team. The only way I’d come off the court is if I couldn’t stand.”
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) dribbles against Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) during the second half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026.
Jalen Duren was a workhorse down low
It isn’t often that Detroit gets outworked in The Motor City, and yet that’s exactly what happened during the first quarter.
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The Thunder racked up 14 second-chance points compared to the Pistons’ zero. That helped it claim a 34-22 lead, stunning the Little Caesars Arena crowd.
But when Detroit looked to rev up its offense to start the second quarter, it turned to its workhorse center. Duren began to enforce his will down low, and there wasn’t much OKC could do without its usual rim protectors.
Duren erupted for 10 points in the quarter, including a vicious alley-oop dunk over a helpless Aaron Wiggins. And he ultimately ended the night with 29 points and 15 rebounds, five of which were offensive boards.
That helped Detroit win the offensive rebounding battle 16-12, although OKC won the second-chance points battle 30-17.
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OKC should get some reinforcements soon
OKC announced on Feb. 19 that Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) and Mitchell (abdominal strain and left ankle sprain) would be re-evaluated in approximately one week. Thursday will mark seven days since then.
Holmgren (low back spasms), Hartenstein (right soleus injury management) and Caruso (left ankle sprain) also played in OKC’s road win over Toronto on Tuesday. They missed Wednesday’s game on what marked the second night of a back-to-back, although that appears to be precautionary.
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OKC could certainly use the extra bodies when it hosts Denver at 8:30 p.m. CST Friday. It’s the second meeting of the season between the Western Conference heavyweights.
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Tip-ins
∎ Four of OKC’s nine available players scored at least 20 points in the loss. That list consisted of Jaylin Williams (30 points), Cason Wallace (23 points), Aaron Wiggins (20 points) and Jared McCain (20 points).
∎ Isaiah Joe (left glut contusion) and Branden Carlson (low back soreness) exited the game in the first half and did not return.
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∎ OKC was also without Alex Caruso (left ankle sprain), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain), Isaiah Hartenstein (right soleus injury management), Chet Holmgren (low back spasms), Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain and left ankle sprain), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) and Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain).
∎ Detroit was without Bobi Klintman (G League assignment), Chaz Lanier (G League assignment), Wendell Moore Jr. (G League two-way) and Isaiah Stewart (league suspension).
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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TIPOFF: 8:30 p.m. Friday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (ESPN)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder falls short to Jalen Duren, Pistons as OKC’s injuries pile up