Vitals: Thunder at Pistons

What you need to know, who you need to watch, and other vital information for Friday's game.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:20 am

By: News On 6

Originally Published: Oct 30, 2009 3:36 PM CDT

Vitals | Box Score | Recap

Dave Carty
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

Oklahoma City Thunder (1-0) at Detroit Pistons (1-0)
7:00 p.m. CST
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, Mich.
Game 2 of 82

Anticipated Starting Lineups

	Thunder (Away)	Pistons (Home)
PG	Russell Westbrook	Rodney Stuckey
SG	Thabo Sefolosha	Richard Hamilton
SF	Kevin Durant	Tayshaun Prince
PF	Jeff Green	Charlie Villanueva
C	Nenad Krstic	Ben Wallace

Injuries

Thunder: none reported.

Pistons: Richard Hamilton, ankle, questionable.

Where to find it?

On TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma.

On Radio: Thunder Radio Network, 98.1 FM and 640 AM.

What you need to know?

The Pistons responded to a sub-par year by adding full-time Tweeter and part-time power forward Charlie Villanueva and sniping two-guard Ben Gordon, both of UConn fame. Ben Wallace also returns to the fold after briefly contemplating retirement. Whether or not the pieces will come together for John Kuester in his first season as an NBA head coach remains to be seen.

Who to watch?

If Richard Hamilton starts with his injured ankle, that will create a huge matchup for Gordon working against James Harden. Gordon, used to lighting up the score sheet coming off the bench, will be firing from everywhere on the court. Even if Hamilton is out, pitting Gordon against Thabo Sefolosha, he's is sure to drain upwards of 20 points.

Working against Villanueva, Jeff Green is sure to see some chances in the paint. Villanueva is more of a three-point threat than low-post defender. Wallace and he both need to get acquainted to a new team, system, and head coach. Unless Wallace finds some of his defensive touch, Green will see chances. He scored 24 points of 9-of-13 shooting in the opener versus the Kings and could see similar results tonight.