National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Oklahoma City 99, Detroit 79
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, January 23, 2012
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Officials: #52 Pat Fraher, #13 Monty McCutchen, # J.T. Orr
Attendance: 18203

James Harden and Russell Westbrook scored 24 points apiece as the Oklahoma City Thunder built a huge early lead and rolled to a 99-79 win over the visiting Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

Kevin Durant added 20 points for the Thunder, who own the best record in the Western Conference and improved to 7-1 at home.

Brandon Knight led the way with 13 points for the Pistons, who shot just 34.1 percent en route to their 11th loss in the last 13 games.

A 27-point halftime lead was more than enough for the Thunder, who didn't let Detroit get closer than 20 points throughout the third quarter. Durant had six straight points just past the midway point of the frame, and Harden added a long jumper at the buzzer as the Thunder led 85-58 entering the fourth.

Both teams emptied their respective benches for most of the final 12 minutes.

The Thunder jumped all over the Pistons from the outset, as Westbrook and Durant provided all the offense in a game-opening 9-2 run. The duo, along with James Harden, scored all but two points in the quarter as the Thunder cruised to a 29-12 advantage.

Oklahoma City kept the pressure on in the second quarter, stretching the lead to 60-33 points at the break. It was a season low for points allowed in the first half by the Thunder, who came into the night surrendering more than 94 points per game.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Oklahoma City
Brandon Knight 13 Scoring James Harden 24
Tayshaun Prince 3 Assists Russell Westbrook 6
Austin Daye 7 Rebounds Serge Ibaka 10
Greg Monroe 6 Free Throws Made James Harden 3
Jonas Jerebko 2 Steals Cole Aldrich 2
Ben Wallace 1 Blocks Serge Ibaka 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Detroit 79 34.1 4-14 19-27 14 38 1 10 10
Oklahoma City 99 53.2 7-16 10-14 21 51 10 4 19
Upcoming Games
  • Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Thunder have a W/L % of .857 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Miami. The Pistons have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .231 after a loss.