Tag Archives: Los Angeles Clippers

Dallas Mavericks vs. Thunder preview (Game 23 of 82)

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  • Dallas Mavericks (8-15, 12th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-1, 1st in the West)
  • When: Friday, 05 December 2025 at 8:30pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • TV: Prime Video
  • Offensive Rating: DAL: 107.6 (30th) / OKC: 119.0 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating: DAL: 111.3 (4th) / OKC: 103.8 (1st)
  • Net Rating: DAL: -3.8 (22nd) / OKC: 15.1 (1st)
  • Streaks: DAL: 3 W’s in a row, 5-5 in last 10 / OKC: 13 W’s in a row

The Set-Up

The decision for when to start a rebuild has to be an extremely difficult one for an organization. Sometimes, it’s self-inflicted. Sometimes, it’s thrust upon you unexpectedly. But it’s a decision fraught with potholes, pitfalls, and doubt. A decision that can set your franchise back years, possibly decades. And, yet, for most every team, it’s a decision that needs to be made once every 10-15 years. For Oklahoma City, the team knew they needed a refresh after the departure of Kevin Durant and the subsequent first round exits of the Russell Westbrook/Paul George-led teams. But that weird transitional season was also needed to get off the previous train and jump onto a new one. The season with Chris Paul, a newly acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rookie Lu Dort, potential 6th Man of the Year Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams is one that lives happily in the minds of many Thunder fans, but also one that helped position the Thunder for what they currently are today.

Which brings me to the neighbors south of us, down I-35. Dallas is in a weird spot where they have some of the pieces needed to jump-start a rebuild (Cooper Flagg and Ryan Nembhard), but also are in a holding pattern with older stars such as Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and the currently injured Kyrie Irving. They aren’t winning, but they also aren’t losing enough. These next few months before the trade deadline will be very interesting in Dallas.

This is the 2nd of 3 meetings this season between these regional rivals. OKC won the first meeting 101-94, in Dallas, in a game that saw the Thunder big men dominate on the scoreboard and on the glass. Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams combined to score 38 points and grab 30 rebounds, with 6 of those being offensive.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -15
  • O/U: 229.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Alex Caruso – OUT (quad)
  • Lu Dort – OUT (adductor strain)
  • Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)

DAL

  • Dante Exum – OFS (knee)
  • Daniel Gafford – Questionable (ankle)
  • Kyrie Irving – OUT (knee/ACL)
  • Dereck Lively – OUT (foot)
  • PJ Washington – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

  1. Ryan Nembhard – Last season, in the Finals, no players on the Indiana Pacers, outside of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakim, had more of an impact against the Thunder than Andrew Nembhard. Dallas decided to take a chance on Andrew’s younger brother, Ryan, as an undrafted free agent this past summer. And over the past four games, all starts, Ryan Nembhard has been balling out and leading the Mavericks to a 3-1 record over that stretch. Nembhard has been averaging 17 points, 7.5 assists to 1.3 turnovers, and shooting an absurd 65% from the field and 67% from three over that 4-game stretch. The one game where he did struggle during that 4-game stretch was against the Los Angeles Clippers, who have big rangy defenders like Kris Dunn who can make life difficult for a smaller point guard. With Dort and Alex Caruso out, that onus will fall on Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
  2. Comfortable Dub – The more games Jalen Williams gets under his belt, the more comfortable and in rhythm he gets. He hit the 20 point mark in their last game against the Warriors, scoring 22 points. His playmaking has been in mid-season form, as he’s averaging over 6 assists per game in his first 3 games. And his shooting percentage was above 50% for the first time this season in their last game. Everyone is asking whether the Thunder should throw their hat into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstake, but honestly, Dub coming back may be their important “acquisition” this season.
  3. Upset Potential – The Mavericks are coming into this game the hottest they’ve been all season. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, Nembhard, Cooper Flagg, and Anthony Davis are all balling out, and Dallas’ defense has been consistent. You can almost always throw records out when it comes to regional rivalries and the Thunder have the biggest target on their back this season. OKC has been a little unfocused over the past few games and if that continues, it could come back to bite them in the butt this game.

Thunder @ LA Clippers preview (Game 8 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (7-0) @ Los Angeles Clippers (3-3)
  • When: Tuesday, 04 November 2025 at 10:00pm CST
  • Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
  • TV: NBC/Peacock
  • Offensive Rating: LAC: 115.4 (14th) / OKC: 117.3 (8th)
  • Defensive Rating: LAC: 116.0 (20th) / OKC: 104.2 (1st)
  • Net Rating: LAC: -0.7 (19th) / OKC: 13.1 (1st)

The Set-Up

The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking for their best start in franchise history. Previous to this, they started last season 7-0 before they met the Nuggets in Denver and Russell Westbrook posted one of his best games of the season (29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists). A Peyton Watson block on a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lay-up attempt as time expired allowed the Nuggets to walk away victorious, 124-122. It was definitely a sign of things to come later in the playoffs that season. Last year’s team rode that wave all the way to a franchise record 68 wins and, of course, the team’s first championship in Oklahoma City.

Before that, in the time of, as my 16-year old daughter would put it, “old basketball”, the 2012-13 team started the season 21-4 and the 2013-14 team started 22-4. Those team were led by Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and the aforementioned Westbrook.

This is the first of three meetings this season between the Thunder and Clippers. Last season, the Thunder swept the season series 4-0, winning by an average of almost 10 points. In total, the Thunder have beat the Clippers five times in a row.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

  • Line: OKC -7.5
  • O/U: 221.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Lu Dort – Questionable (illness)
  • Ajay Mitchell – Questionable (bilateral gluteal contusion)
  • Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee – ACL)
  • Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
  • Jalen Williams – OUT (wrist)
  • Jaylin Williams – Questionable (shoulder sprain)
  • Kenrich Williams – OUT (knee)

LAC

  • Bradley Beal – Questionable (Load Management)
  • Kawhi Leonard – Questionable (Load Management)
  • Jordan Miller – OUT (hamstring)
  • Kobe Sanders – OUT (knee)

Three Big Things

  1. Pace – The Clippers are old. They look old (most of team has gray in their hair or beards). And they play old. The Clippers are the 2nd slowest team in terms of pace. The Thunder aren’t too far behind, ranking in at 26th, but we all know that has more to do with the personnel on the floor and the injuries, than how the team actually wants to play. Once this team has some semblance of health, the transition offense will likely uptick, which will bring up the pace. If the Thunder can look like the team that played against the Pelicans on Sunday, they should be able to use their youth and speed to their advantage.
  2. Force turnovers – The Thunder are elite where the Clippers struggle. The Clippers are 29th in the league in turnovers at 17.8 a game and worst in turnover ratio. The Thunder, on the other hand, are third in the league at forcing turnovers, at 17.4 per game. When they do turn the other team over, they score 23.9 points per game, which is good for 2nd in the league. On the other end of that spectrum, the Clippers do a poor job of getting back on defense once they have turned it over. They are 2nd worst in the NBA in Opponent Points off Turnovers, allowing 23.5 points per game.
  3. SGA –

Houston Rockets vs. Thunder preview (Game 72 of 82)

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  • Houston Rockets (36-35, 11th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (50-21, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Wednesday, 27 March 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – HOU: 113.7 (19th) / OKC: 118.7 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – HOU: 112.1 (8th) / OKC: 111.4 (5th)
  • Net Rating – HOU: 1.6 (15th) / OKC: 7.3 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Sometimes, a tough, hard-fought victory is exactly what the doctor ordered. Last night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans is exactly the kind of gritty, grind-it-out game that the Thunder needed to win to feel good about themselves. Even though they have gone 8-2 over their last 10, the losses have felt almost disastrous and the wins have felt “meh”. It was good knowing that the Thunder didn’t have to play their best in order to win in a playoff environment.

This is the fourth and final meeting this season between these two teams. The Rockets won the first meeting early in December, 110-101. The Thunder returned the favor on back to back nights in late February, winning 123-110 and 112-95, respectively.

Magic Numbers

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) – 0 (Locked In)
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 3
  • To lock up the 4th seed (homecourt advantage in the first round guaranteed) – 6

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -6.5
  • O/U: 231.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (quad) – Day to Day

HOU

  • Steven Adams (knee) – OUT
  • Tari Eason (lower leg) – OUT
  • Alperen Sengun (ankle) – OUT
  • Cam Whitmore (knee) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. Transition Offense vs. Transition Defense – The Thunder love to get out on the break and run. They are first in the league in points off turnovers and 7th in fast break points. The young legs on the team love to get up and down the floor. However, Houston is probably the best transition defense in the league. The Rockets allow the third fewest points off turnovers and are first in defending fast break points.
  2. Hot Team Extinguishers – The Thunder always seem to get teams when they are playing their best. In December, they faced a Clippers team that had found it’s groove after the James Harden trade and came into OKC on a 9-game winning streak. The result: a 134-115 OKC victory. There was a run of 13 games for Denver in December, where they went 11-2, with the two losses coming at the hands of the Thunder. In January, the Boston Celtics came into OKC having won 11 of their last 12 games. The result: a 127-123 OKC victory. Tonight, the Rockets come into OKC on a 9-game winning streak. Here’s hoping the Thunder aren’t too beat up or tired from last night’s tough game.
  3. Ewing Theory – Since Alperen Sengun went down 7 games ago, certain players on the Rockets have stepped up in big ways. In that same span, Jalen Green and Jock Landale have net ratings of 24.2 and 24.5, respectively. Green, especially, has seen a huge leap in production as the former No. 2 pick looks like he’s starting to live up to his lofty billing. In the last 10 games, Green is averaging 27.6 points on 50/43/78 shooting splits. His true shooting is in the mid 60’s and his usage is up to 30 during that time. Londale has allowed Houston to play a more modern style due to his ability to step out and hit 3’s. In his last 10 games, Landale is shooting 55.6% from deep.

Thunder @ New Orleans Pelicans preview (Game 71 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (49-21, 2nd in the West) @ New Orleans Pelicans (44-27, 4th in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 26 March 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
  • Offensive Rating – NO: 117.0 (10th) / OKC: 118.6 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating – NO: 111.4 (6th) / OKC: 111.4 (5th)
  • Net Rating – NO: 5.6 (4th) / OKC: 7.3 (2nd)

The Set-Up

For months, the big four in the Western Conference has been the Thunder, the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, and the Clippers. It was almost a forgone conclusion that those would be the top-4 seeds in the West. But lo and behold, a challenger has arisen from the Gulf Coast. For much of the first half of the season, New Orleans’ season was viewed as a disappointment. Injuries to key contributors like Trey Murphy III and Jose Alvarado had sapped a lot of the depth the Pelicans had. Zion Williamson was once again fighting the battle of the bulge…and losing. The turning point in the season for Zion (and for the Pelicans) was an embarrassing 133-89 loss to the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament semifinals that saw Zion get outscored, outworked, and outclassed by LeBron James.

Since then, New Orleans has gone 32-16 and Zion has reworked his game and his body to become his most optimal self. Williamson is noticeably slimmer than he was earlier in the season and his game has transformed itself into more of a point-Zion trajectory. He handles the ball more off boards and is second on the team in assists per game. The lost weight has allowed Zion to look more like Duke Zion and has made him a force to be reckoned with anytime he is remotely close to the basket.

This is the third and final meeting of the season between these two teams. On November 1st, Oklahoma City squandered an early 22-point lead in the first game to end up on the losing end of things, 106-110. The Thunder returned the favor in late January, handling the Pelicans easily in New Orleans, 107-83.

Magic Numbers

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guaranteed) – 0 (Locked In)
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 5

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -1.5
  • O/U: 223.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

NO

  • Dyson Daniels (knee) – OUT
  • Brandon Ingram (knee) – OUT

Three Keys Things

  1. Rebounding – I know, I know. The Thunder have gotten better at rebounding in the 2nd half of the season. And, yes, the Thunder have slowly proven that if they can beat you at nearly every other aspect of the game, the rebounding becomes a moot point. But against a team like New Orleans, those 2nd chance points can tilt the game in their favor. The Pelicans are a top-10 team in 2nd chance scoring and the Thunder, of course, are still one of the worst rebounding teams in the league. Jonas Valanciunas has always terrorized the Thunder on the boards and tonight should be no different. It’s making sure that the Pelicans don’t make the Thunder pay on those 2nd chance opportunities.
  2. SGA – Ever since the MVP discussion has gotten louder, SGA’s game has, unfortunately, petered off. Be it fatigue, wear & tear, injury, how teams are defending him, or all of the above, SGA just doesn’t feel like he has the same gear as he did pre-ASB. Hopefully it’s just a slump and he can work himself out of it. Many people forget that Jokic went through an early season slump that had many asking if he was out of shape from the celebratory off-season. Every player goes through periods like this. It just so happens that it’s louder for SGA because of where we’re at in the season.
  3. Prime-time Match-Up – Despite New Orleans’ slow start to the season, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league over the past 2 months. And the Thunder have been about as consistent as they come. As we head into the playoffs, these are the types of match-ups that can serve as “canaries in the coal mine” to see where the Thunder are mentally heading into their first postseason as a collective.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Thunder preview (Game 55 of 82)

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  • Los Angeles Clippers (36-17, 3rd in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: PayCom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – LAC: 119.7 (3rd) / OKC: 119.2 (4th)
  • Defensive Rating – LAC: 114.3 (13th) / OKC: 111.9 (4th)
  • Net Rating – LAC: 5.4 (5th) / OKC: 7.3 (2nd)

The Set-Up

And we’re back to your regularly scheduled program. From the studio that brought you “28 Days Later”, “28 Weeks Later”, and “28 Years Later” comes the latest film, “28 Games Left”. An action-drama-comedy that follows a young cast of characters as they battle numerous villainous foes on their way to the promised land. A land, they once thought their ancestors would capture, but never could. The film stars up and coming action star and poet laureate Shay Gilly, eye-wear model Squints Diaganolt, comedian Dub Will-I-Ams, and method actor extraordinaire Sticks Homegren. The movie will be directed by 20-time Oscar winner and head of the Boston chapter of the Mensa Institute, Samson Prezzi.

This is the third and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting, 134-115, in Oklahoma City in December. The Clippers returned the favor on their homecourt, 128-117, the following month.

Magic Number

  • To lock up the 10th seed (play-in guarantee) – 20
  • To lock up the 6th seed (playoffs guaranteed) – 24

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -1.5
  • O/U: 235.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

LAC

  • None

Three Big Things

  1. Pace – There isn’t a ton that separates these two teams statistically. They are both great shooting team that are both disruptive defensively. Where they differ a bit is in their pace of play. The Thunder rank 10th in pace while the Clippers rank 22nd. In their win against the Clippers in December, the Thunder made it a focus to push the ball early in possessions and catch the Clippers off-balance defensively. The Clippers were more aware of that in their 2nd meeting and consistently shut that off for the Thunder.
  2. Gordon Hayward and Bismack Biyombo – The new acquisitions for the Thunder will make their debuts tonight. If you haven’t already read Dylan’s article, there are many reasons why the debut of Hayward should make you excited. Don’t expect to see too much of Biyombo. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault already said that he would be more of a situational player. We will also see the debut of married man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If the All-Star game was any indication, married man SGA may be a completely different animal for the NBA to handle.
  3. Games of hella consequence – These are the games we were longing for when we were watching Jaylen Hoard and Georgios Kalaitzakis ball out there for the Thunder several years ago. The tie-breaker between these two teams is at stake tonight. Second place in the West is at stake tonight. Keeping pace in the top of the West is at stake tonight. And SGA’s continued MVP campaign is at stake tonight. All the rotation players for the Clippers have been in similar situations to this multiple times in their careers. For the Thunder, games like tonight are continued learning experiences, but at an accelerated pace. It’s like they are in an NBA honors class.

Thunder @ Utah Jazz preview (Game 51 of 82)

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  • Oklahoma City Thunder (35-15, 1st in the West) @ Utah Jazz (25-26, 10th in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 06 February 2024 at 8:00pm CST
  • Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Offensive Rating – UTA: 115.6 (16th) / OKC: 119.3 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating – UTA: 117.9 (25th) / OKC: 111.2 (4th)
  • Net Rating – UTA: -2.3 (23rd) / OKC: 8.1 (2nd)

The Set-Up

The top-4 teams in the Western Conference are separated by half a game. HALF A GAME! A rough night at the office and a team could tumble from 1st to 4th pretty quickly. The Thunder have gone from hardly playing any games of consequence over the last three seasons to playing a game of consequence almost nightly. The Thunder and Timberwolves have seemingly been tit for tat for the better part of the new year. The Clippers are the hottest team in the league right now and the Nuggets likely haven’t even started playing their best brand of basketball yet.

With all that said, I’ve been very impressed by Oklahoma City’s poise and maturity throughout the season. The start the season as the “hunters” and still have the same hunger and focus once they became the “hunted”, takes a perspective way beyond the age of most of the players of the roster. Once they win the games, though, you see this team’s age in their post-game interviews. Here’s to continuing to win while young.

This is the third meeting of the season between these two division rivals. The Thunder have won the previous two, 134-120 in December and 134-129 in January. Their fourth and final meeting of the season is on March 20th.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -3.5
  • O/U: 240.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Davis Bertans (knee) – Questionable
  • Ousmane Dieng (hip) – Questionable
  • Isaiah Joe (chest) – OUT
  • Vasilije Micic (ankle) – Questionable
  • Cason Wallace (shoulder) – Questionable
  • Lindy Waters III (ankle) – Questionable
  • Jalen Williams (ankle) – Questionable
  • Jaylin Williams (Achilles) – Questionable

UTA

  • Ochai Agbaji (illness) – Questionable

Three Big Things

  1. Trade Deadline Shenanigans – The game before the trade deadline and the game after the trade deadline always have the possibilities of being weird, roster-wise. The Thunder haven’t had an injury report that looked like that all season long. And now, the game before the trade deadline, half the roster is on the injury report. It may mean something. It may mean nothing. But it’s always shenanigans.
  2. Turn them over – The Utah Jazz are the most turnover-prone team in the league. They don’t have any real “floor-general” type players. All their point guards are undersized combo guards that aren’t great at playmaking. This plays immensely into what the Thunder do best defensively and what they like to do offensively (transition).
  3. Rebounding – Conversely, where the Jazz are great, the Thunder struggle. If the Thunder can’t turn the Jazz over and this turns into a half-court affair, the Thunder will need all-hands on deck in the rebounding department. Between Walker Kessler, John Collins, and Lauri Markkanen, the Jazz boast three guys that average 7.4 rebounds or more per game. The Thunder have only one in Chet Holmgren (7.5 rebounds per game).

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Thunder preview (Game 47 of 82)

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  • Minnesota Timberwolves (32-14, 2nd in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (32-14, 1st in the West)
  • When: Monday, 29 January 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – MIN: 114.2 (19th) / OKC: 119.4 (6th)
  • Defensive Rating – MIN: 108.9 (1st) / OKC: 111.3 (4th)
  • Net Rating – MIN: 5.2 (6th) / OKC: 8.1 (2nd)

The Set-Up

All I could think about yesterday as the clock was counting down on the Thunder’s loss to the Pistons was the scene in Avengers: Infinitiy War where Thanos is speaking to Red Skull on how to obtain the Soul Stone and Red Skull responds with “A soul for a Soul”. I rewind back to Saturday night, as I was cheering the San Antonio Spurs on for beating the Thunder’s current rivals, the Minnesota Timberwolves. At the time, I remember thinking, “Yes! We’re now officially a half game up on Minnesota and we play Detroit tomorrow.”

The assumption was that OKC would take care of business against the Pistons and put themselves a full game up on Minnesota in the standings heading into their Monday night tussle. Damn you, trap game. The Thunder were caught looking ahead and played one of their worst games of the season. The 16-point defeat was the Thunder’s worse since they lost to Denver by 33 in the third game of the season. The mentality of going from the hunter to the hunted is something that is new to this young Thunder squad. When you are on top, you get everyone’s best shot.

This is the final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder lead the season series 2-1.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -2.5
  • O/U: 224.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • Tre Mann (personal) – Day to Day

MIN

  • Jaylen Clark (Achilles) – OUT
  • Mike Conley (hamstring) – Questionable

Three Big Things

  1. Turn Them Over – Minnesota isn’t very adept at protecting the ball. They turn the ball over at the third worst clip in the league, averaging 15.2 turnovers per game. Conversely, the Thunder do a great job at protecting the ball (4th best) and score the most points in the league off of turnovers (20 per game). If the Thunder win this battle, they likely win the game.
  2. Pace – The Thunder love to run the pace up a bit against Minnesota, in order to prevent them from getting into their defense. If you allow Rudy Gobert to set-up in the paint, it makes it that much more difficult for the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to play their brand of basketball. The Thunder are 6th in the league at Fastbreak Points, while the Timberwolves are 4th best at defending against Fastbreak Points. If the Thunder can up the pressure because of their pace, it plays more into their brand of basketball.
  3. Lots at stake – Win today, and you win the season series against the Timberwolves outright. Meaning that if a tie occurs at the end of the season, the Thunder would finish ahead of Minnesota because of their head to head matchups. In addition, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers don’t appear to be slowing down. Keeping pace with them will help the Thunder keep them at bay.

Portland Trailblazers vs. Thunder preview (Game 43 of 82)

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  • Portland Trailblazers (12-30, 4th in the West) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (29-13, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 23 January 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – POR: 107.6 (30th) / OKC: 119.8 (5th)
  • Defensive Rating – POR: 117.2 (23rd) / OKC: 111.7 (5th)
  • Net Rating – POR: -9.6 (28th) / OKC: 8.1 (3rd)

The Set-Up

The number one seed in the Western Conference is within the Thunder grasp. A win tonight, and the Thunder tie the Timberwolves for first in the West, while also owning the tie-breaker against Minnesota. Hot on the Thunder’s tail, though, is the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. This just shows you the competitiveness of the West. In the Eastern Conference, the first and sixth seeds are separated by 9.5 games. In the West, the first and sixth seeds are separated by only 5 games. If you have a bad week in the West, leap-frogging will occur.

This has made the Thunder’s rise even more impressive. Young teams tend to ride the highs and focus too much on the lows. But the Thunder seem to be the most even-keeled young team in recent memory. The ability to not only keep climbing, but also keep the teams behind them at bay has been very surprising. How this bides for them for the rest of the season remains to be seen. But early returns have been extremely positive.

This is the third of four meetings this season between these two teams. The Thunder have been dominant in their first two meetings, beating the Trailblazers by 43 and 62 points, respectively.

Betting Info

  • Line: OKC -13.5
  • O/U: 233.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

POR

  • Moses Brown (shoulder) – OUT
  • Shaedon Sharpe (lower abdominal strain/thigh) – OUT
  • Robert Williams III (knee) – OUT

Three Big Things

  1. Number 1 Seed in Sight – A win tonight accomplishes several things for the Thunder. If the Thunder get the W, then they would be tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for first in the West. They would be the number one seed because they own the tie-breaker against Minnesota by virtue of their win on Saturday. But a win tonight also gives the team one more division victory, which could pay dividends for future tie-breakers. The top three teams in the West are all from the Northwest division. It also allows them to stay ahead of the fast-charging Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers.
  2. Trap-Game Possibilities – When you beat a team by a combined 105 points in your two meetings against them, it would almost be human nature to look past them. Despite their putrid record, the Blazers have won two of their last three games. Even though the Thunder have shown a propensity to not fail in trap-game situations, the possibility is always there.
  3. Second-Chance Points – The Trailblazers aren’t good at a lot of things. But one thing that they are good at is offensive rebounding and 2nd-chance points. These are all things that keep bad, young teams in games. Eliminate these things and you eliminate one of their main sources of offense.

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.

Boston Celtics vs. Thunder preview (Game 32 of 82)

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  • Boston Celtics (26-6, 1st in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (22-9, 2nd in the West)
  • When: Tuesday, 02 January 2024 at 7:00pm CST
  • Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Offensive Rating – BOS: 120.8 (2nd) / OKC: 118.9 (6th)
  • Defensive Rating – BOS: 110.4 (3rd) / OKC: 110.3 (2nd)
  • Net Rating – BOS: 10.4 (1st) / OKC: 8.7 (3rd)

The Set-Up

22-9. Let that sink in for a moment. When you are in the thick of it, you usually don’t get to appreciate what you are watching. But 22-9. For a team that was said to be in a rebuild just last season. For a team that many thought would be in a rebuild for several seasons. This team was in the playoffs just three years ago. And they were in two play-in games just this past April. It literally took three draft cycles to get them back to where they are at. No major free agent signings. No number 1 picks. Just great scouting and development.

As we head into the new year, where do we go now. Do we let this thing ride out and see how far we can go with the team as currently constructed? Do we make a move to shore up any weaknesses we may have on the periphery? Or do we push all of our chips in (correction: some of our chips (we have so many we can afford to push in chips and still have plenty left)) to get a top-tier talent to put alongside our core? It is a question in which the answer will materialize here within the next month to month and a half. The Thunder have 20 games between now and the trade deadline. It’s going to be a wild ride from now to then.

This is the first meeting of the year between these two teams. Their next meeting is on April 3rd.

Betting Info

  • Line: BOS -4.5
  • O/U: 239.5

Injury Report

OKC

  • None

BOS

  • None

Three Big Things

  1. Rebounding – I hate to beat the crap out of a dead horse, but these types of stats usually matter in this kind of game. Against the Brooklyn Nets, the Thunder allowed 17 offensive rebounds. Fortunately for them, the Nets did not make the Thunder pay for that. But against a team like Boston, who also happens to be one of the best rebounding teams in the league, that will definitely come back to bite you in the butt. The Thunder will need to gang rebound, especially in the shallow post, as Boston shoots a ton of 3’s (No. 1 in the league in both attempts and makes) and those tend to bounce closer to the free throw area instead of closer to the rim.
  2. Pace – The Thunder look to push the pace a lot more than the Celtics. One thing that I’ve noticed over the past couple of games, especially since the Clippers on 21 December, is that the Thunder are looking to push as soon as they gain possession. They’ve flummoxed several top tier teams (Clippers, Nuggets, Knicks) in the past week just with this alone.
  3. SGA – This is a tent-pole game. A game that if you perform well, you can point to it as an example of what kind of season you had. As SGA forges his path towards MVP contention, this is the kind of game that carries a lot of weight. Boston is No. 4 defensively in stopping points in the paint. It’s an unstoppable object vs. immovable force type situation.