OKC Thunder vs. LA Clippers, 2019-20 team preview
Following a franchise changing offseason, the LA Clippers appear poised for a title run. Meanwhile, Paul George is the reason the OKC Thunder entered a new era. Here’s how the team’s matchup.
Last season the LA Clippers had a specific game plan they set in motion and inevitably resulted in everything owner Steve Ballmer outlined in his mission. Along the way, like the OKC Thunder, the Clippers nabbed a playoff berth and also exited in the first round.
The difference was LA wasn’t expected to be playing in Spring especially after trades were made to clear cap space. But, the scrappy squad pushed the Golden State Warriors to six games before bowing out.
The LA Clippers made no secret they were fully invested in landing Kawhi Leonard in free agency. Their efforts went above and beyond as they routinely sent executives to attend Raptors games and even tried to purchase his Nike Klaw logo.
For his part Leonard, the quiet and soft-spoken superstar also openly let it be known of his desire to return home to LA. And yet, the deal to marry the star and Clippers franchise proved to be far more difficult than initially expected. Toronto winning the title and being the only franchise who could offer him a five-year term as well as more money made for a viable option.
In the end, Leonard pushed for the club to add a second star and Paul George became the target. Assets LA had hoped to retain (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander specifically) and an unprecedented haul of draft picks and swaps sealed the deal.
Now the team of gritty overachievers enters 2019-20 as the prohibitive favorite to win the title.
The Basics:
2018-19 Record: 48-34
Playoff Seed: Finished as the eighth seed and pushed the Warriors to 2-4 in round one.
Head Coach: Doc Rivers begins his seventh season as the bench boss.
Points per game: Ranked 5th (115.1) | Opponent points per game: Ranked 25th (114.3)
Pace: Ranked 7th (101.7) | Offensive Rating: Ranked 9th (112.4) | Defensive Rating: Ranked 21st (111.5)
Vegas Odds:
Win-Loss: 54.5 games
Odds to NBA Title: +351
Odds to Win Conference: +210
* Odds courtesy of The Action Network.
The OKC Thunder split the regular-season series against the Clippers. Next up, let’s look at the offseason changes made by the club and review what to expect when the team’s tipoff versus each other in their four contests.