- Los Angeles Clippers (17-10, 4th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8, 2nd in the West)
- When: Thursday, 21 December 2023 at 7:00pm CST
- Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
- Offensive Rating – LAC: 117.9 (7th) / OKC: 117.3 (10th)
- Defensive Rating – LAC: 111.7 (7th) / OKC: 110.1 (4th)
- Net Rating – LAC: 6.2 (5th) / OKC: 7.2 (3rd)
The Set-Up
It’s taken a while. But we can finally start to compare the effects of the trade that occurred in the wee hours of July 6th, 2019. The day most Thunder fans woke up to tons of text messages from their Thunder-obsessed friends and a Twitter timeline that was in shambles. For Thunder fans, we knew what awaited us. A complete and total rebuild. For the Clippers, it was redemption for all those years of being seen as the Lakers’ little brother. Fast forward four years later, and the seeds that were planted during that trade are now starting to bear fruit.
The Thunder find themselves in the 2nd spot in the West, with one of the brightest futures imaginable for a team. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into a top-5 player in the league, Chet Holmgren has been an immediate-impact “rookie”, and Jalen Williams (acquired via a Clippers pick) has all the makings of a third star. Even though injuries have derailed the Clippers’ chances at a title the last three seasons, they are in prime position to make a run this season with the additions of James Harden and Russell Westbrook and the newfound health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. As big of a trade as this was four years ago, it appears both teams are in position to succeed because of it…as of now. Remember, the Thunder still control the Clippers’ picks for the next four drafts and the Clippers will only get older from here.
This is the first of three meetings between the Thunder and Clippers. They also meet on January 16th, 2024 and February 22nd, 2024.
Betting Info
- Line: OKC -4.5
- O/U: 233.5
Injury Report
OKC
- None
LAC
- Paul George (illness) – Questionable
Kawhi Leonard (hip) – Questionable
Mason Plumlee (knee) – OUT
Three Big Things
- SGA – There is definitely an “I’ll show you” feeling whenever SGA faces the Clippers. The star guard started his career with the Clips, playing his rookie season in Los Angeles. As we all know, he was shipped off to the Thunder with a bevy of picks for Paul George in the offseason. Since the trade, the Thunder are 5-7 against the Clippers, but have won four of their last 5. In those 12 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 24 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 51/46/98 shooting splits. This also includes a ridiculous game winner in 2021.
- Streaking – Since December 1st, the Clippers are one of the top teams in the NBA per most metrics. They’ve won every game since the month turned and are 2nd in the NBA in Offensive Rating and Net Rating during that time. The chemistry between Harden, Leonard, and George is starting to coalesce and Leonard is starting to play like the Leonard of San Antonio and Toronto lore. In addition, since Russell Westbrook removed himself from the starting lineup, the Clippers have gone 13-3 and the bench has been more impactful.
- Russ – Russell Westbrook is in the sun-setting phase of his career. He is 16 years in and considering how he plays, his body has performed admirably. But the signs are starting to show and energizer bunny that once was, only makes an appearance once every couple of games. That’s not to say he still isn’t a good player, but he isn’t the player that we remember. As he makes another visit to OKC, let us appreciate everything Westbrook has done for OKC hoops. He stuck with us in the toughest of times and helped bridge the gap between the last Thunder “dynasty” and this current iteration. So, here’s to Russell. Give him his flowers while he still has an NBA contract and is contributing to a good team.