The OKC Thunder will face the LA Clippers for the second time this season but may not be lining up versus the top players. Paul George has missed the last four games with a contused elbow and uncertain to dress for this game.
While the Clippers lost badly to the Jazz (103-124) on Wednesday the Thunder lost a heartbreaker with a hail Mary 61 foot 3-pointer by Devonte Graham that stole the match. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had seemingly won the game on an incredible banked in 3-pointer of his own seconds prior.
It marked the third loss in a row for OKC who are on pace to meet their tank objectives. Nonetheless losing that way when your cornerstone appeared to have hit the game-winner was a tough pill to swallow.
It’s a quiet week for OKC with this only their second game and the last one of the week.
OKC Thunder vs LA Clippers – the exception to the tank rule
LA is on the rise in the West, with five wins in their last seven matches even without Paul George appearing in four of them. They’ve been up and down offensively in those games struggling to figure out who’ll be the primary scorer so Ty Lue has them simply going with the hot hand.
Their defense is also a work in progress with the Clippers holding some teams under the century mark and then letting teams light them up as the Jazz did.
The Thunder own the Clippers’ draft pick this season so being hopeful they’ll go on a losing streak is something the fan base is invested in. With that, OKC should be invested in winning this match to help push the Clippers lower on the seeding ladder.