OKLAHOMA CITY – The Detroit Pistons nearly took down the defending champs in their own arena without four starters. An MVP-caliber performance by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander allowed the Oklahoma City Thunder to escape.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 47 points, and knocked down 21 of his 25 free throws, to put away the Pistons in overtime, 114-110, on Monday, March 30. Three free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander with 48.3 seconds left in overtime extended the Thunder’s lead to five, 111-106. He then split a trip with 13.3 seconds left, with Ron Holland fouling out, to extend the lead back to four to secure the win for Oklahoma City (after Paul Reed cut it to two with a pair of free throws).

After a hot second half, the Pistons went cold in OT, shooting 3-for-11 in the final five minutes. They were without Ausar Thompson (eight points, seven rebounds and five assists) in the extra period, after he fouled out late in the fourth quarter.

LOOKING AHEAD: Ranking the Detroit Pistons’ potential first round playoff matchups

With less than 24 seconds left and a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, Daniss Jenkins turned the ball over with a bad pass. Gilgeous-Alexander nearly made the Pistons pay, sinking a 3-pointer with four seconds left and the game tied at 101. However, the bucket didn’t count because he pushed off. Jenkins’ 3-pointer at the buzzer missed, leading to overtime.

With the loss, the Pistons (54-21) missed out on a chance to clinch the Central Division, with the Cleveland Cavaliers, eight games back with eight games to play entering Monday, also winning. Still, the Pistons are seven games up with seven to play, with a tiebreaker (division record) yet to be decided. Even with the loss, the Pistons – who’ve locked up a playoff spot and homecourt in the first round – edged closer to clinching the top spot in the East, as the Boston Celtics, who entered four games back of the Pistons, lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. That dropped the Pistons’ “magic number” (any combo of Pistons wins and Celtics losses) to lock up the East down to three.

Next up for the Pistons

It’s a super-short turnaround for the Pistons, who jet back to Detroit to host the Toronto Raptors (42-32) on Tuesday (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Extra/MMYD-TV 20). Toronto is tied with Atlanta in the fifth and sixth spots in the Eastern Conference.

Detroit Pistons walking wounded

The Pistons were severely shorthanded, with Jalen Duren (right ankle injury management), Tobias Harris (left hip) and Duncan Robinson (right hip) all missing the game, along with the previously ruled-out Cade Cunningham (left lung pneumothorax) and Isaiah Stewart (left calf strain). They leaned on their depth, with two-way big Tolu Smith and 2025 second-round pick Chaz Lanier rounding out coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation.

Several players stepped up, with Reed (21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks) leading the way. Javonte Green finished with 19 points and knocked down a season-high five 3-pointers. Kevin Huerter (17 points, six assists, six rebounds), Jenkins (15 points, six assists), Marcus Sasser (12 points, four assists) and Caris LeVert (10 points) also scored in double figures.

Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 47 points.

Second-half rally for the Pistons

With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, two big offensive rebounds by Smith allowed the Pistons to take their biggest lead of the night.

The possession ended with a 3-pointer by Jenkins, giving the Pistons a 97-90 lead. But the defending champions battled back, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. He went on a personal 6-0 run, and a corner 3-pointer by Thunder center Jaylin Williams later tied the game at 99 with 1:35 to play.

The Pistons trailed by as many as 15 in the first half but outscored the Thunder in the second half, 58-48. The Pistons made nine of their 17 3-point attempts through the final two quarters and shot 60% overall, while holding the Thunder to 44%. Through the first four periods, they scored 22 points off of 17 Thunder turnovers. The Pistons also owned the offensive glass, grabbing 15 to the Thunder’s six. It allowed them a 16-4 lead in second chance points.

Javonte Green delivers season-best performance

The veteran guard has been an unsung contributor all season. His perimeter defense and 3-point shooting, particularly from the corners, has made him a key glue guy with the second unit. As a starter on Monday, he stepped up and gave one of his best performances in a Pistons uniform.

His five 3-pointers marked a season-high, and all five were timely. His fifth came midway through the fourth period and gave the Pistons the lead during their fourth-quarter push, 90-89. He led an all-around hot night from beyond the arc, and did so while also picking up Gilgeous-Alexander defensively throughout the night.

Defense, outside shooting clicks after first quarter

Trailing by 15 points with under nine minutes left in the second quarter, the Pistons nearly let the game get away. But they responded by locking down defensively and heating up from the arc, which sparked a run and enabled them to take control of the game in the second half.

They held the Thunder to 36.4% shooting (8-for-22) in the second quarter after allowing them to shoot 61.1% (11-for-18) in the first. The Pistons caught fire from the arc in the second half after shooting 30% (6-for-20) in the first half, making four of six attempts in the third period and five of 10 in the fourth.

Watch our podcast, “The Pistons Pulse,” discuss the Cade Cunningham injury fallout, the playoff chase and more:

MILWAUKEE – A routine Lyft pickup turned violent for a Milwaukee driver early Saturday morning, March 28.

What they’re saying:

Candice Kozinski says she finished her day job Friday night, took a nap, and then went out to drive Lyft to earn extra money. Hours later, she says she picked up a group of riders near 41st and Hampton.

Kozinski says the situation quickly escalated.

“All the sudden he was like get out, and I was like, okay, huge red flag,” she said.

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Kozinski says one of the riders then pulled out a gun.

“The other guy had a gun in my ribs here and said, ‘Get out the f—ing car, I am going to shoot you’ – they are all screaming,” Kozinski said.

She says the group dragged her out of her vehicle and drove away.

“Tried to flag people down after they sped off and no one stopped,” Kozinski said.

She says she eventually found help and contacted police.

Dig deeper:

Investigators say the suspects were later spotted driving the vehicle near National Avenue in Walker’s Point. Police say the suspects led officers on a chase reaching speeds of 90 to 100 miles per hour before officers lost sight of the vehicle.

Police later found the vehicle abandoned near 40th and Hadley.

“There’s a chip on the windshield,” Kozinski said. “Breaks shot because of the high-speed chase.”

Kozinski says she suffered bruises and is also dealing with emotional trauma.

“Obviously, mental trauma, traumatizing for anybody,” Kozinski said. “Just like everyone else, I was trying to make ends meet. Yeah, I don’t like having to do gig jobs like this, but it was temporary until I found something else.”

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What you can do:

Kozinski has created a GoFundMe to help cover repair costs for her vehicle.

What they’re saying:

The Milwaukee Police Department says no arrests have been made.

Lyft provided the following statement:

“We are deeply troubled by this incident, which has no place in the Lyft community or in our society. We’re working with law enforcement and have permanently banned the rider account involved, and have reached out to the driver to offer support.”

By the numbers:

MPD’s crime data shows carjackings are down about 40 percent so far this year and have dropped nearly 50 percent over the past two years, from 2024 to 2025.

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WCCO Radio is hosting a contest on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 where listeners can call in during four different time periods throughout the day for a chance to win four tickets to a Minnesota Twins game on April 5, 2026 at Target Field.

Why it matters

This contest provides an opportunity for Twins fans in the Minneapolis area to win tickets to see their favorite baseball team play at their home stadium. Winning free tickets can make attending a game more accessible for fans who may not be able to afford the full ticket price.

The details

To enter, listeners need to call (651) 461-9226 after hearing the cue to call on-air during one of the four contest time periods: 6:00 AM – 8:59 AM CT, 9:00 AM – 11:59 AM CT, 12:00 PM – 2:59 PM CT, and 3:00 PM – 5:59 PM CT. The correct caller, as designated on-air by the station, will receive four tickets to the April 5, 2026 Twins game at Target Field. There will be a maximum of one winner per contest time period, for a total of four winners.

• The contest will take place on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
• The contest will have four entry periods: 6:00 AM – 8:59 AM CT, 9:00 AM – 11:59 AM CT, 12:00 PM – 2:59 PM CT, and 3:00 PM – 5:59 PM CT.

What’s next

The winner(s) and any guest(s) must comply with any COVID-19 vaccination, screening, testing, safety, and related requirements imposed by the station, venue, event promoters, or others in connection with receiving and using the prize.