Thunder @ Pistons

Who will WIN this matchup?

Oklahoma City Thunder (14-7)

@ Detroit Pistons (13-7)

Current odds:

Oklahoma City Thunder: (-115)

Detroit Pistons: (-1105)

• The line for this game is Oklahoma City by 1 point.

• Fresh off spoiling the return of Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, the Detroit Pistons are looking like a team to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons will try to knock off a second straight Western Conference power and finish off a perfect six-game homestand when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Detroit’s second unit is getting plenty of credit for the team’s play of late, and the reserves opened up the game in the second quarter of Saturday’s 111-102 triumph over the Warriors behind point guard Ish Smith and small forward Stanley Johnson.

•  The Thunder are winners of 14 of their last 17 games and are beginning a stretch with five of six on the road after easing past the Atlanta Hawks 124-109 on Friday to wrap up a four-game homestand.

• Oklahoma City is relying on its depth as well and had three reserves score at least 13 points on Friday while shooting guard Alex Abrines drew a start and buried 7-of-11 from 3-point range. The Thunder ended up with 30 assists on 46 made field goals in the easy win and shot 52.3 percent from the floor. “Guys just want to get each other involved and play the right way,” reserve forward Nerlens Noel, who scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 16 minutes, told reporters. “You really want to have everybody on the same wavelength and everybody active and making buckets when they’re important.”

• Detroit coach Dwane Casey built a powerful bench as the coach of the Toronto Raptors and is doing the same with the Pistons by encouraging each player to embrace his role. “That is so important that guys are understanding their roles, that guys are playing their roles, accepting the role, embracing it and being the MVP in their role, I think that’s so important,” Casey told reporters. “Understanding that it is a team game, it’s not about one player, everybody’s got to do their job whether if it’s screening, spacing, passing the ball, defending, whatever it is just make sure you do your job on each possession.” Johnson is becoming the key player off the bench by guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter players while averaging 9.9 points in 23.6 minutes.

• Pistons C Andre Drummond recorded a double-double in 17 of the first 20 games and is averaging 18.6 points and 16.4 rebounds.

• Thunder SG Andre Roberson suffered a setback in his return from knee surgery and is expected to miss another six weeks.

• The visiting team took each of the two meetings last season, with Oklahoma City claiming a 121-108 victory in Detroit.