After Tuesday night’s 123-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder needs just one more win to clinch the best record in the league, securing homecourt advantage through the playoffs. The Thunder continued making history with the win in LA, becoming the first team ever to win three consecutive games by at least 35 points. Tonight, they wrap up their stay in Los Angeles with a matchup against the Clippers, who are also playing in the second game of a back-to-back. A win would make OKC just the third team in NBA history to record 64 wins in back-to-back seasons.
The Clippers are also coming off a win from Tuesday night, a 116-103 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Clips saw a 10-point halftime lead diminish to just 5 headed into the fourth before pulling away late. Kawhi Leonard has played great basketball this season, and he’s a big reason that LA has turned the season around. After starting the season with a 6-21 record, the Clippers are now 41-38 and 8th in the West. Leonard is averaging a career-high 28.1 points per game, and slowing him down will be key for OKC picking up a win.
Jalen Williams should return to action for the Thunder after sitting out last night due to injury management of that strained hamstring he dealt with recently. While the Thunder would like to secure the top spot tonight, staying healthy is the top priority for the reigning champs. Right now, the conditions are setting up for a great opportunity for another NBA Finals run, but staying injury-free is key.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 9 PM CT
Location: Intuit Dome (Inglewood, California)
Television: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, LA Clippers Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Jalen Williams
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Clippers
- PG: Kris Dunn
- SG: Derrick Jones Jr.
- SF: Kawhi Leonard
- PF: John Collins
- C: Brook Lopez
Injury Report
Thunder
- Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgical recovery) is OUT.
Clippers
- Bradley Beal (fractured left hip) is OUT.
- Darius Garland (left toe injury management) is OUT.
- Isaiah Jackson (sprained right ankle) is OUT.
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser (right Lisfranc ligament tear) is OUT.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 36-27 against the Clippers (24-8 at home, 12-19 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Clippers 7 times, tied 4 times, and lost 6 times.
- The Thunder went 4-0 against the Clippers last season (2-0 at home, 2-0 on the road).
- OKC is 2-0 against Los Angeles so far this season (1-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- The Thunder has won 7 straight games against the Clippers, including the last 3 meetings in Los Angeles.