A little more than 24 hours after a deal to send Danilo Gallinari to Miami fell through, he was in the starting line for the Thunder and scored the first three points in Oklahoma City’s 108-101 win over the Pistons.
Gallinari was one of five players for OKC who were in double-digits.
The Thunder were led by Chris Paul who scored 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out a team-high seven assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 21, while Gallinari, Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams scored 19, 18, and 16, respectively.
Lu Dort earned the start once again, playing 25 minutes, while Terrance Ferguson saw 14. Ferguson’s return earlier this week has made the rotation more complicated, and Hamidou Diallo has seen his minutes decrease as a result.
It’s something Billy Donovan told reporters after the game he’s working.
“We’ve got a full roster, a full complement of players. One of the things I have to do is figure out rotations. … He needs to stay ready. I still have belief in him and confidence in him.”
With the win the Thunder surpassed their preseason predicted win total of 31.5, improving to 32-10 on the year. Oklahoma City has won four in a row and nine of their last 10.
OKC has moved up to sixth place in the Western Conference standings, just a game behind the Utah Jazz, who had lost five in a row coming into their matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.
The Thunder stays at Chesapeake Energy Arena when they host the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. CT.
