Coming out of the All-Star Break, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced a formidable challenger in the visiting Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams came back from their week off fully healthy, which meant OKC would have to contend with a stacked Clipper roster overflowing with star power.
The Clippers came into this game red-hot, having won 15 of their last 20 games. Their last game was an especially triumphant win versus the Golden State Warriors on Valentine’s Day.
Los Angeles had a rocky 3-7 start to the season, and have fought their way back up to the 3rd seed in the West. To say this game would be a challenge for the Thunder would be an understatement.
With just a half game difference between the teams, the outcome of this one could mean a lot when it comes playoff time. On top of that, this was OKC’s last game this season against any Top-4 western conference team. Their last chance to overpower another member of their conference’s upper echelon.
The Thunder dominated their West rivals
And overpower is exactly what the Thunder did.
What was once a competitive first half turned into a rout, after OKC outscored Los Angeles 35-23 in the 3rd quarter. We even got a peek at a potential “Death Lineup” for the Thunder at the start of the 4th quarter (more on that later). Without further ado, here are the key factors that led the Thunder to such a dominant display against a strong conference opponent.