Paul George, Clippers Beat Thunder 109-94 Behind Kawhi Leonard's 25 Points
The Los Angeles Clippers continued their hot streak with a 109-94 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard led all scorers with 25 points. Paul George added 16 points and five rebounds for the 42-19 Clippers, who won their fifth straight game.
L.A. never trailed after the first quarter and led by 15 or more for the entirety of the fourth. The Clips also held an advantage of 11 or more points after each frame.
The 37-24 Thunder dropped their second consecutive contest.
Notable Performances
Clippers F Kawhi Leonard: 25 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL
Clippers F Paul George: 16 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST
Clippers G Lou Williams: 14 PTS, 4 AST, 2 REB
Thunder G Chris Paul: 14 PTS, 7 AST, 2 REB
Thunder G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 15 PTS, 6 REB, 3 BLK
Thunder G Dennis Schroder: 24 PTS, 2 REB
New-Look Clippers Pass Early Tests Before Tougher Challenges Ahead
As Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported, the Clippers are 5-0 after incorporating new additions Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson into a stout, well-rounded 10-man rotation.
L.A. has outscored its opponents by 17.4 points per game during that span, which includes victories over the playoff-bound Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers and Thunder. Four of those wins have been by 10 or more points, and all have been by at least six.
Justin Russo of Clipperholics noted a few more stats showcasing that dominant display:
The Clippers are playing up to the lofty preseason expectations, which essentially stated that a battle for L.A. against the Los Angeles Lakers would come to pass in the Western Conference Finals.
But the question is whether the Clips can step up to the challenge when facing tougher opponents. As Buha noted, they will visit the Houston Rockets next before heading back to Staples Center for a date with the Lakers.
The Rockets underwent a much larger midseason makeover than the Clips, trading big man Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks and employing a small-ball strategy with 6'5" P.J. Tucker at center.
That seems to have worked, with Houston going 10-3 since Capela's last game.
Teams have found it difficult to match up with the Rockets, who are still tall at the four positions minus center and can spread the floor better than anyone offensively.
But the Clippers' depth may be enough for them to match up with anyone in the league, including Houston. Head coach Doc Rivers seems ready to counter Houston with smaller players like Morris (6'8") and JaMychal Green (6'8"), among others, down low:
The other issue the Rockets face is that L.A. is excellent when fully healthy, which is the case right now. Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points provided the stats:
Houston runs a little deeper after the additions of Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll, but it doesn't have the flexibility the Clips possess with a mix of size and floor-stretching ability down low, offensive- and defensive-minded players in the backcourt and standouts in George and Leonard on the wings.
The Lakers are a different story. At their best, they might be the most dominant team in the league thanks to four-time NBA MVP LeBron James and seven-time All-Star Anthony Davis, both of whom could land on the All-NBA First Team this year.
And they can match the Clips' depth, as well, with a mix of size (Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee), wing and low-post scoring (Markieff Morris and Kyle Kuzma), three-and-D specialists (Danny Green and Avery Bradley) and smart veteran players of varying experience rounding out the rest of the rotation (Rajon Rondo, Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope).
The Lakers can conceivably go 11 deep in the playoffs, so the Clippers' depth would be a bit neutralized.
But the Clippers have given the Lakers serious problems this year. They won on opening night without George and again on Christmas Day without their February reinforcements. Two games is a small sample size, but there's evidence to suggest the Clips are more than up to the task of beating the Lakers.
That goes for their upcoming game, as well as the playoffs. Ultimately, L.A. may find itself playing Houston in the conference semis before facing the Lakers for the right to go to the Finals, making this week a potential preview of what's yet to come.
What's Next?
The Thunder will begin a three-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Clippers will wrap a two-game road swing versus the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Thursday at 8 p.m.
