The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped to 8-2 after losing to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday for the second time this season. After a terrifying tumble in the first quarter, rising star Chet Holmgren was sidelined with a hip injury, and the game slipped away from them.
With the exception of superstar Kawhi Leonard, who has missed the whole season due to injury, the LA Clippers enter this game with the rest and a relative health edge. After a close victory over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, which moved them to a 6-4 record, the Clippers will look to maintain their momentum.
Due to a second-half run that resulted in a blowout loss for the Clippers, the Thunder easily defeated the Clippers in their last meeting in Los Angeles.
The Oklahoma City Thunder should focus on stopping the James Harden-Ivica Zubac pick-and-roll because they could be missing Chet Holmgren for this game. The Thunder can compensate for their lack of size if they can overwhelm the Clippers in that action and force turnovers.
To defeat the Clippers, who might kill them with a thousand cuts in this game, the Thunder will need to have an exceptionally hot shooting night from beyond the arc.
The last four games have been won by the LA Clippers. The most recent was a 105-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors at home at Intuit Dome. Norman Powell scored 24 points, Kevin Porter Jr. scored 15, and James Harden scored 24.
The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their most recent game. They lost to the Golden State Warriors 127-116 at home at Paycom Center. Cason Wallace scored 16 points, Jalen Williams scored 20, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points.
The Thunder have defeated the Clippers twice in a row. They defeated Paycom Center 129-107 before defeating Intuit Dome 105-92. In the last ten meetings between these clubs, the Thunder have won seven of them.
Last 10 Games for the LA Clippers
In the last ten games, they have won six and lost four. In addition to shooting 46.8% from the field and 75.7% from the free-throw line, the Clippers are averaging 108.5 points, 45.8 rebounds, 25.0 assists, 8.3 steals, and 4.6 blocks. In each game, the opponent has averaged 40.9 rebounds and 106.3 points.
Norman Powell is making 4.1 (49.4%) 3-pointers and scoring 25.5 points on average. James Harden averages 9.0 assists while Ivica Zubac averages 12.7 rebounds.
