In the category of moral victories, the effort at Detroit has to top the list. The Thunder played the traditional Eastern Conference power to the final buzzer before falling 90-88 Friday.
"It was a great game, and our guys played hard till the last second," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "I am going to keep telling our guys that if they continue to battle, continue to believe in each other and continue to play with defensive toughness, we are going to give ourselves a chance to win." The Thunder held a lead in the third quarter and twice tied the score in the final minute. The Pistons' Allen Iverson hit the game-winner in the final seconds.
"This is a good team," Brooks added. "Obviously, one of the better teams in the East, and it was their home court. We can play anybody. We just have to figure out how to play from the opening tip, and we have to play with some toughness."
The Thunder continues to have breakdowns when it comes to closing out winnable games.
"They are a great team and they know how to finish games," center Chris Wilcox said of the Pistons, "and we are a young team that is still struggling to finish games."
Finishing remained a problem Saturday at Washington, when the Wizards dumped the Thunder in the fourth quarter to earn a win.
WIZARDS 104, THUNDER 95: In what was billed as the worst matchup in NBA history, slumping Washington pulled away in the fourth quarter Saturday night to defeat reeling Oklahoma City.
The combined 7-50 record of the teams coming into the game was the worst in league annals for two teams with at least 25 games played, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The Wizards outscored the Thunder 28-19 in the final period to break a 74-74 tie.
Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 25 points, with Jeff Green adding 23. Washington's Antawn Jamison led all scorers with 29.
