Tag Archives: Ivica Zubac

Thunder @ Los Angeles Clippers preview (Game 80 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (63-16, 1st in the West) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (41-38, 8th in the West)
  • When: Wednesday, 08 April 2026 at 9:00pm CST
  • Where: Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA
  • TV: FDSN-OK
  • Offensive Rating: LAC: 116.5 (11th) / OKC: 117.8 (7th)
  • Defensive Rating: LAC: 114.9 (17th) / OKC: 105.8 (1st)
  • Net Rating: LAC: 1.6 (14th) / OKC: 11.9 (1st)
  • Current Streaks: LAC: Winners of their last 2 and 5 of their last 7 previous to that / OKC: Winners of 6 in a row
  • Magic Number (to clinch the No. 1 seed throughout the playoffs): 1

The Tip-Off

There’s a narrative out there that the regular season doesn’t matter. But for the Thunder, this is what you work so hard in the regular season for. The Thunder don’t win the title last season if they don’t play two Game 7’s in the friendly confines of the Paycom Center. Securing home court advantage throughout the playoffs is of the utmost importance for a team that, for all intents and purposes, is still extremely young. This team has never experienced a Game 7 on the road. Getting that first game and the possibility of that 7th game of the series in Oklahoma City has to have such a calming effect on a team like OKC.

This is the third and final regular season meeting between the Thunder and Clippers. The Thunder have won the first two games by an average of 20 points.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -7
  • O/U: 227.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)

LAC

  • Bradley Beal – OFS (hip)
  • Darius Garland – OUT (toe)
  • Isaiah Jackson – OUT (ankle)
  • Yanic Konan Niederhauser – OFS (foot)

Three Big Things

  1. Rebounding – There aren’t many nights where the Thunder can come into the game and expect rebounding superiority. The Clippers rank 29th in offensive rebounding, 24th in defensive rebounding, and 29 in total rebounding per game. But there may be a reason why their rebounding numbers are so low…
  2. Perimeter Defense – The Clippers are one of those weird teams that are highly efficient in terms of shot-making, but rank near the bottom in shot attempts. They are 3rd in FG% at 50% per game, but rank last in FG attempts per game. It’s very similar from deep. They rank 7th in 3pt FG%, but rank 23rd in 3pt FG attempts per game. And it’s not like they are dominating in the paint, as they rank 17th in points in the paint per game. So what is the reason why the Clippers shoot so few attempts?
  3. Pace – The reason they don’t shoot many attempts is because they are one of the slowest teams in the league in terms of pace. They rank 28th in Pace over the entire season and 22nd since the All-Star Break. I differentiated the two because it is expected with older stars like Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, and James Harden, that the pace would be slower. But the pace hasn’t increased that much since they picked up Darius Garland and Benedict Mathurin during the trade deadline. If the Thunder can turn the Clippers over and play in transition, it would be more in line with the OKC’s style of play than LA’s.

 

Thunder @ Los Angeles Clippers preview (Game 40 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (27-12, 2nd in the West) @ Los Angeles Clippers (25-14, 4th in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 16 January 2024 at 9:00pm CST
  • Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  • Offensive Rating – LAC: 119.0 (6th) / OKC: 119.8 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – LAC: 113.7 (13th) / OKC: 111.1 (5th)
  • Net Rating – LAC: 5.3 (6th) / OKC: 8.7 (2nd)

The Set-Up

The saying goes, “It’s a make or miss league”. When you are making the shots, things look beautiful. But when you are struggling to make the shots, what does your team rely upon? This is the question as the Thunder continue on in a season where the expectation is no longer just the play-in or the playoffs. The expectation is now high seed and playoff advancement. That question will become a lot louder because playoff teams will try their hardest to make the Thunder do the things that make them the most uncomfortable. Last night, the Lakers allowed players like Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, and Cason Wallace to have open looks from deep. Combined, those four players shot 9/26 overall (34.6%) and 7/20 from deep (35%). The 3-point shooting was not terribly bad from that collective, but every shot that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Joe don’t take, is a win for the defense.

This is the second of three meetings this season between these two teams. On December 21st, the Thunder beat the Clippers 134-115 in Oklahoma City, on a night where the Clippers were coming into town riding a 9-game win streak.

Betting Info

  • Line: LAC -5.5
  • O/U: 237.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

LAC

  • Moussa Diabate (hand) – OUT
  • Ivica Zubac (calf) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. Make Shots – Simple as that. Last night’s game turns out very differently if the guys just shoot their averages. The other team’s defense gets a little more comfortable camping out around the lane when the shots aren’t falling. Softening that by making shots will make life a little bit easier for SGA and Jalen Williams.
  2. Chet – Holmgren is still figuring out the Rubix cube that is a couple of centers around the league (namely Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis). But tonight, with Ivica Zubac out, Chet will be facing the two-headed monster of Daniel Theis and Mason Plumlee. I, hopefully, only say that in jest. He should be due for a big game tonight.
  3. Fire extinguisher – The Thunder once again face the Clippers as they come into this contest as one of the hottest teams in the league. Los Angeles has won 8 of their last 10 and is quickly moving up the standings in the West. As a team that the Thunder want to keep at bay, it will be interesting to see how the Thunder bounce back from yesterday’s loss.
  4. Bonus – Just want to say “hi” to Russell Westbrook.