Tonight’s clash in Motown is a heavyweight showdown and potential preview of the NBA Finals as the top teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences collide. For the first time this season, the Thunder of Oklahoma City (45-14) take the court against the Detroit Pistons (42-14).
The Thunder are currently on a three-game winning streak and have dominated the Western Conference with the league’s best net rating (+11.7), though they are playing the second half of a back-to-back following a 116-107 win in Toronto last night.
The injury report is the central storyline for OKC, as they are expected to be without MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.8 PPG) and scoring threat Jalen Williams (hamstring). In their absence, rookie sensation Cason Wallace has stepped up, including a career-high 27-point performance last night against the Raptors. Meanwhile, the Pistons are looking to bounce back from a 114-103 loss to the Spurs Monday night that snapped their five-game winning streak. Detroit is led by All-Star and MVP contender Cade Cunningham, who is averaging nearly a double-double with 25.3 points and 9.8 assists per game. If Cunningham is serious about his MVP candidacy, he must be better than he was earlier this week against the Spurs (16 points on 19.2% FG).
This game features the two most elite defenses in the league; OKC ranks first in defensive rating, while Detroit sits right behind them in second. The Pistons opened as 5.5-point favorites, but the line has jumped to Detroit -7.5, largely due to the combination of OKC’s injuries and this being Game 2 of a back-to-back.
These teams will meet one more time during the regular season, March 30 in Oklahoma City.
Lets take a closer look at the matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Thunder vs. Pistons
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Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026
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Site: Little Caesars Arena
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Game Odds: Thunder at Pistons
The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:
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Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder (-290), Detroit Pistons (+235)
This game opened Pistons -5.5 with the Total set at 217.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: Thunder at Pistons
Oklahoma City Thunder
Detroit Pistons
Injury Report: Thunder vs. Pistons
Oklahoma City Thunder
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
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Jalen Williams (hamstring) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
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Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
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Thomas Sorber (knee) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Detroit Pistons
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Isaiah Stewart (suspended) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Thunder at Pistons
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The Pistons are 21-7 at home this season
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The Thunder are 21-7 on the road this season
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The Pistons are 31-24-1 ATS this season / 14-14 at home
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The Thunder are 30-28-1 ATS this season / 15-12-1 on the road
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The OVER has cashed in 32 of the Thunder’s 59 games this season (32-27)
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The OVER has cashed in 24 of the Pistons’ 56 games this season (24-32)
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Cade Cunningham was just 5-26 from the field and finished with only 16 points in Monday’s loss to San Antonio
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Duncan Robinson has made at least 3, 3-pointers in each of his last 3 games (11-27)
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Chet Holmgren scored just 7 points in 30 minutes in last night’s win at Toronto
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Jared McCain has grabbed at least 3 rebounds in every game since being acquired by OKC
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Thunder and Pistons’ game:
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Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline
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Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Thunder +7.5 ATS
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Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 219.5
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
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Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
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Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
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Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
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Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
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