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.
Key matchups:
Normally the player who would draw our attention is Paul George but with uncertainty whether he’ll play let’s turn our attention to another former OKC Thunder player — point guard Reggie Jackson.
Jackson is averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.6 steals per game. The shooting guard has been relegated to running the point especially with Paul George out.
He’s attempting 16.8 shots per game shooting a meager 39.6 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from the perimeter on 8.1 attempts.
While Jackson doesn’t get to the line much he’s been delivering for Ty Lue while PG13 has been out and is typically the player who takes the quarter-ending and clutch time shots unless someone is on fire.
With news Luguentz Dort is probable to play he’ll draw the defensive assignment on Jackson unless George plays, or if someone else gets hot (like Mann).
During the last seven games, Marcus Morris has been on fire scoring an average of 18.4 points along with 5.9 rebounds and shooting a blistering 46.3 percent from the perimeter on 5.9 attempts.
The other player Mark Daigneault will have to game plan specifically for is Luke Kennard who is also on the upswing with eight consecutive games of scoring in double-figures. In the recent seven-game stretch Kennard has averaged 15.7 points and is hitting his 3-point shots with a 54.2 efficiency on 6.9 attempts.
Key Stats:
Entering the day here’s where the LA Clippers rank in the key statistical categories. In the three key categories of offense (106.3), defense (105.3), and net differential (+1.0) LA ranks 25th, 4th, and 11th. The OKC Thunder ranks 30th (100.1), 19th (109.6), and 28th (-9.4) in the big three categories.
Scoring:
LA ranks in a tie for 20th scoring 106.1 points per game (103.8) and sixth for opponent scoring allowing an average of 104.9 points per game.
The Thunder ranks 30th averaging 99.0 points per game and allowing opponents to score 108.3 points which rank 18th.
Rebounding:
The Clippers pull down 44.1 total rebounds per game which ranks 22nd and 9.0 offensive boards per match tying them with the Bulls in 25th.
OKC remains a top 10 rebounding team with 45.4 total rebounds (10th) and is in a six-way tie for 16th pulling down 9.9 offensive boards per match.
Dime dishers:
LA dishes 23.0 assists per match landing them in 19th while the Thunder are dead last with 20.2 dimes per game.
Perimeter:
LA ranks in a tie for 10th shooting the 3-point shot with 36.0 percent efficiency and possesses the seventh-best perimeter defense holding opponents to 33.7 percent.
Turnovers:
The Clippers turn the ball over 15 times per match putting them in a tie with the Heat for 22nd while the OKC Thunder tend to take better care of the ball with 13.9 miscues per match tying them with the Celtics in 13th.
Miscellaneous Categories:
The Clippers don’t excel in the miscellaneous categories which is likely a result of not having Kawhi Leonard. Still, they rank 30th in second-chance scoring and 26th for scoring in the paint.
- Points scored off turnovers- rank 16th scoring 16.0 points per game
- Second-chance scoring – 9.8 points per game ranking dead last
- Fast break scoring – rank 17th scoring 11.5 points per game
- Points in the paint – rank in a three-way tie for 26th scoring 42.4 points per match
Defensively, the Clippers perform poorly with their best category being the 20th ranked second-chance opponent points.
- Points scored off turnovers- rank 24th allowing opponents to score 17.6 points per game
- Second-chance scoring – rank 20th allowing13.2 second-chance points per game
- Fast break scoring – rank 23rd allowing opponents to score 13.2 points per game
- Points in the paint – rank 26th allowing opponents to score 48.3 points
*NOTE: These statistics were pulled on December 18th from NBA Stats.
Clippers projected starting lineup:
The following was the lineup who played the Jazz on Wednesday but if Paul George is back he’ll replace Kennard:
- Reggie Jackson – point guard
- Terance Mann – shooting guard
- Luke Kennard- small forward
- Marcus Morris Sr.- power forward
- Ivica Zubac – center
Clippers Injuries:
- Paul George (elbow) is questionable
- Serge Ibaka (personal) is out.
- Nicolas Batum (ankle) is questionable for Saturday
Day To Day (Illness) – Johnson did not play in Friday’s game (Oct. 29) against the Trail Blazers. - Jason Preston (foot) had surgery and will be out indefinitely
- Kawhi Leonard (ACL) continues to rehab and has no definitive return date.
OKC Thunder injuries:
- Lu Dort (ankle) is listed as probable for Saturday
History:
This is the second of three meetings this season between the squads with the initial meeting on November 1st going to the Clippers in a close contested 99-94 battle. They’ll tip off again on April 10th in Los Angeles.
All-time these two clubs have played each other 48 times in the regular season with each team winning 24 times.
Of all the teams the OKC Thunder this club should be the one they try to defeat given they own their draft pick.
Game Specifics:
Venue: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tip-off: at 7:00 p.m. Central Time (8:00 p.m. EST)
TV/Web: Bally Sports Oklahoma of NBA League Pass
Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM