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Oklahoma City Wins Their Fifth Straight in Tough Battle with the Clippers

The Thunder Guys
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The Thunder earned their fifth straight win tonight as they edged by the LA Clippers. The Clippers are fighting for a playoff spot, so of course they brought their best dogs to the fight. After many ups and downs, the Thunder slipped by the Clippers for a crucial victory.

The first quarter couldn’t have started off any worse for the Thunder. The Big 3 wasn’t hitting, and the Clippers were finding open looks on offense. Even though it was a one side affair to start, the Thunder stuck around. The bench came in and gave a huge push, including a buzzer beater from Raymond Felton that decreased the Clippers lead to three.

The bench continued to roll to start the second quarter, once again led by Felton. Felton hit a shot from beyond the arc that really gave the team a spark, and later assisted on another three point shot by Terrance Ferguson. The second unit regained the lead for the Thunder after starting the quarter 4/4 from the field for a 9-0 run. Corey Brewer began slashing apart the Clippers defense by cutting in and out of the lane for wide open shots. All of that combined with the aggressive defense of the Thunder lead to a 7 point lead at halftime.

The Clippers came out ready to play in the third quarter, and it looked like the Thunder wasn’t expecting it. Austin Rivers led the charge by knocking down a barrage of three point shots. Despite their best efforts in the second half, the pressure of the Thunder on defense and the bench lighting up the score on offense was too much for the Clippers to overcome. Russell Westbrook took things upon his own shoulders down the stretch and closed out the game for OKC.

3 Quick Thoughts 

Thunder fans, media, and even fans of other teams were throwing out names for the Thunder to trade for at the deadline. However, Sam Presti didn’t receive the offer he was looking for, and decided to not make any changes. At this point, it was clear that the Thunder were going to pick up someone from the buyout market. Once again people guessed as to who the team would pick up, and no one saw Corey Brewer coming to OKC.

Corey Brewer has taken Oklahoma City by storm. Earning a standing ovation after his performance Friday night against the Clippers. Brewer has averaged 10 points per game since arriving in OKC. He has brought a sense of leadership to this team, and the confidence he has being a veteran has already proven to help benefit the Thunder. No one saw this coming besides the man himself, Sam Presti. Presti has shocked the NBA with his moves in the past, and the pickup of Corey Brewer is looking no different.

The Thunder has looked incomplete throughout parts of the season. One night, the starters are playing well, but the bench isn’t. The next night, it’s the bench who is shining but the starters can’t find the light of day on offense. However, tonight was a complete team win. Much like this entire five game win streak, the Thunder had to rely on everyone to get things done. The bench was rolling early, and then the starters came through in the second half to wrap things up. The Thunder could potentially be peaking at the right time.

The Thunder turned up the intensity on defense as the game progressed, and that’s ultimately what won it for them. However, at times the defense looked out of place which allowed the Clippers to find wide open looks. Oklahoma City can’t be allowing teams to have wide open looks under the basket, especially when they are struggling to score. Look for the Thunder to continue to work on defensive rotations now that the offense is starting to flow.

Heading North 

The Thunder will be back in action again on Sunday for an early tip-off against the Toronto Raptors. The game will be held at the Air Canada Centre, and will start at 12:00 PM CST. It will be televised on FSOK and broadcast on the radio at WWLS 98.1 FM.

Playing the best team in the East gives the Thunder the opportunity to know where they stand overall in this league as we approach the post season. Beating Toronto to earn a sixth straight win would be huge for this teams confidence and chemistry.

Article written by Craig Hofeld. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram. 

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