Clippers vs. Thunder: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
The Los Angeles Clippers couldn't solve the Oklahoma City Thunder nine days ago, but they broke through on Friday night and earned a 110-108 win at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Clippers (8-1) have now won five games in a row dating back to their last meeting with the Thunder (6-3)—who have dropped two straight following a 6-1 start to the season. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Clippers' 8-1 start is the franchise's best ever through nine games.
Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 25 points (10-of-20 shooting), while Chris Paul posted his third double-double of the season thanks to 17 points and 10 assists—including some clutch dimes late that gave the Clippers necessary breathing room.
Russell Westbrook—who missed a potential game-winning three on the last possession of the game—was relatively inefficient as a shooter (9-of-25 from the floor), but he continued to stuff the stat sheet with 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in a marquee matchup against Paul that started in somewhat sluggish fashion.
The Clippers shot 5-of-22 from the field and committed four turnovers in the first quarter, and their struggles were reminiscent of the ones that plagued them in a 85-83 loss to the Thunder on Nov. 2, according to Bleacher Report's Josh Martin:
Doc Rivers' club trailed by eight points after the first frame, but Jamal Crawford (19 points) and the bench provided a spark in conjunction with some steadier stylings from Griffin to help the Clippers close the gap, as the team's official Twitter account documented:
With Westbrook in an early shooting slump and the Thunder leaning on Victor Oladipo (18 points) and Andre Roberson (13 points) to do the heavy lifting, Oklahoma City hit halftime knotted at 50 as the Clippers offense started to flex its muscles.
At that point, Los Angeles started to percolate.
Spacing improved, the ball started moving at a brisk pace and open shots presented themselves at a higher rate than they did over the game's first 24 minutes.
Griffin was at the center of the Clippers' momentum surge, and his ability to gash the Thunder in the pick-and-roll gave the Clippers a little breathing room, as shown by NBA TV:
The Thunder, however, kept things close thanks to a balanced effort that saw five players finish in double-figures. Enes Kanter (13 points) and Domantas Sabonis (12 points) did damage inside and out, and the rookie's play was particularly encouraging.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs product drilled four of five attempts from three, and ESPN.com's Royce Young evaluated his effort with simple and accurate praise:
According to the Thunder's official Twitter account, Sabonis became just the second rookie in franchise history to hit at least four threes in a game.
Oklahoma proceeded to drill a season-high 16 shots from beyond the arc as a team, and a 57.1 percent conversion rate on long-distance shots against the league's top-ranked defense was a reason for optimism on a night when they weren't always at their best.
With two straight losses to their name, the Thunder will attempt to snap out of their small funk on Sunday when they host the sputtering Orlando Magic.
Conversely, the Clippers will try to keep the good vibes rolling on Saturday when they travel North for a meeting with the up-and-coming Minnesota Timberwolves.
Postgame Reaction
"Yeah, yeah, I should've probably drove it, but it's alright," Westbrook said of his decision to launch a three with the game hanging in the balance, per Young.
"I trust Russell," head coach Billy Donovan said of the shot, according to the Norman Transcript's Fred Katz.
"I trust him. As great of a player as he is, when the ball is in his hands."
And while the Thunder came up short, Oladipo was encouraged by his team's effort.
"We just did a great job of moving the ball, guys hitting open shots," he said, per Katz. "We defended at a high level, too. We did a great job of turning them over and then coming down and getting an open shot, the best shot possible."
As for the Clippers, Rivers came away impressed with the way they were able to stay the course despite a sluggish start.
"They just trusted," he said, per the Orange County Register's Dan Woike. "This was one of the games where you could lose your trust. Roberson was making 3’s, Sabonis was making 3’s and we were telling our guys to stay and clog the paint. They were looking at me, like 'Why?' Listen, we did it and worked out for us. But, this was one of those games were you could’ve lost it easily."
L.A. was also pleased with the way Crawford was able to boost the offense off the bench.
"That’s why he is the three-time 6th Man of the Year," Paul said of Crawford, per Rowan Kavner of the team's official website. "We know he can provide that scoring every night."
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
