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OKC Thunder Under NBA Investigation Ahead of Pistons Matchup

The OKC Thunder are facing a potential penalty from the NBA.
Justin Grasso|
Feb 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) drives to the basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsOklahoma City Thunder

The Detroit Pistons’ Saturday night opponent is in hot water with the NBA currently. On Friday night, it was revealed the NBA will be launching an investigation into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s decision to sit multiple players against the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this month.

via @ShamsCharania: The NBA is investigating the Oklahoma City Thunder for potentially violating league's player participation policy, sources tell ESPN. Game under review is OKC’s March 7 win over Portland in which Thunder starting 5 (Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Holmgren, Dort, Hartenstein) sat.

The Thunder, like many teams across the NBA currently, have a crowded injury report even heading into their Saturday night matchup in Detroit, Michigan.

Unlike a handful of the teams also dealing with a potential penalty due to the player participation policy, the Thunder are not looking to tank games in order to increase their first-round pick odds.

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Thunder are ranked first in the Western Conference. With a 54-12 record, the Thunder have an 11.5-game lead for the first seed. They are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs and have a high chance of drawing one of two Play-In teams in the first round.

While the Thunder’s injury report remains crowded, players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort are expected to be in the mix. There is a slim chance OKC will run into any issues with the league regarding their lineup for the matchup in Detroit.

As for the Pistons, they are looking to bounce back after taking on a bad loss against the Eastern Conference’s last-seeded Washington Wizards. Sitting in sixth place, the Pistons have a shot at improving their seeding as the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee bucks are just one game in front.

The Pistons and the Thunder are set for a 7 PM ET tip.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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