Clippers vs Thunder on Sunday night was played in a building where the Los Angeles Clippers had lost nine straight, and it ended the same way for a 10th time. For about 45 minutes the Clippers were right there. They led by seven midway through the third quarter, were within one possession with three minutes left, and got the Oklahoma City Thunder into the kind of grind they usually force on other teams. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still had the final word. He scored 34 points as Oklahoma City pulled away for a 108-101 win at Paycom Center, which dropped the Clippers to 1-2 and kept the Thunder unbeaten at 3-0.
Clippers vs Thunder box score snapshot
- Final: Thunder 108, Clippers 101
- Quarters: The Thunder won the first 23-20 and the Clippers won the second 26-20, so the Clippers led 46-43 at the half. Oklahoma City took the third 34-30 and the fourth 31-25.
- Clippers: 37-for-81 (46%), 15-for-38 from three (39%), 30 assists, 26 turnovers
- Thunder: 42-for-94 (45%), 8-for-24 from three, 15 offensive rebounds, 64 points in the paint to the Clippers’ 36
- Points off turnovers: Thunder 38, Clippers 23
- Darius Garland: 16 points, 11 assists, six turnovers in 36 minutes
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 34 points on 13-for-26 shooting, six rebounds, five assists
The Clippers won the shooting battle and lost the possession battle
Most nights, the team that makes seven more threes and hits 46% from the field wins. The Clippers did both. They also handed out 30 assists on 37 made baskets. They lost anyway, because Oklahoma City got far more chances to score: 15 offensive rebounds to eight, 94 field-goal attempts to 81, and 38 points off Clippers giveaways.
We covered the ball-security problem in depth after Friday’s loss to the Lakers, so here is just the short version. Head coach Tyronn Lue counted “another 26 turnovers,” which makes 52 across two games. “Didn’t take care of the basketball all night,” Lue said. The more useful takeaway from Sunday is that the Clippers played an unbeaten Thunder team close to even everywhere else, even with five rotation players unavailable.
Third quarter: a seven-point lead and an answer
The Clippers came out of the break playing their best basketball of the season. Isaiah Jackson worked the short roll and the dunker spot. Kris Dunn turned steals into a running dunk. A Derrick Jones Jr. corner three and a Garland pull-up made it 64-57 with 5:56 left in the third, the Clippers’ largest lead of the night.
Oklahoma City responded the way it usually does. Alex Caruso scored on a drive and then hit a three to tie it at 67. Gilgeous-Alexander followed with a layup, a dunk, a short jumper and two free throws, and the Thunder carried a 77-76 lead into the fourth. Caruso finished plus-18 in 22 minutes, the best mark in the game, with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Fourth quarter: the bench gets them back, Gilgeous-Alexander closes
The Clippers’ second unit kept the game alive. Kobe Sanders hit a pull-up jumper and Gradey Dick hit a three off a Dunn pass to tie it at 81. Rookie Keaton Wagler answered a Chet Holmgren three with a three of his own, then converted an and-one to tie it at 88. Sanders and Dick were both plus-11. Wagler scored 11 points and went 6-for-6 at the line, including three free throws after he was fouled on a three in the third quarter.
Ajay Mitchell then took over the stretch for the Thunder. He scored 18 off the bench on 8-for-14 shooting with three steals, and his three-point play put Oklahoma City ahead 93-90 with 5:08 left. Rui Hachimura’s three and Jones’ 25-footer, an assist from Dunn, kept the Clippers within 97-96 at the three-minute mark. That was as close as they got. Caruso made two free throws, Jalen Williams threw down a dunk, and Mitchell scored inside for a 103-96 lead with 1:44 remaining.
Jalen Williams injury and the flagrant review
With 1:14 left, Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams went down hard on a drive to the basket. He left on a stretcher with towels covering his left leg. The play-by-play shows a foul on Dunn that was upgraded to a flagrant 1 after a referee-initiated review, and Gilgeous-Alexander made both free throws. As of Monday morning, Oklahoma City had not announced a diagnosis for Williams. Guard Cason Wallace (left shoulder soreness) and forward Jaylin Williams (right wrist soreness) both left in the first quarter and did not return.
We are not speculating on the severity of Jalen Williams’ injury. It is worth noting, though, because the Thunder you face in a rematch might look very different.
Player notes
- Kris Dunn had his best all-around game as a Clipper: 15 points, six assists, five steals and two blocks in 33 minutes. ESPN’s box score credits him with 6-for-7 shooting, while CBS Sports lists 6-for-8. The flagrant came at the worst possible moment.
- Brook Lopez added 15 points off the bench and made three threes, including a 26-footer in the third quarter for a 72-67 lead.
- Darius Garland had 11 assists to go with 16 points, but he shot 7-for-17 and 2-for-8 from deep, finished minus-20, and committed six of the 26 turnovers.
- Rui Hachimura struggled again, shooting 2-for-11 and 1-for-6 from three for five points in 29 minutes.
- Isaiah Jackson scored 10 points with six rebounds and four assists, but also had four turnovers and five fouls.
The injury list behind the 1-2 start
The Clippers were again without Bradley Beal, Brandon Ingram, Max Strus, Yanic Konan Niederhauser. That leaves Lue with a thin rotation built around rookie Keaton Wagler and the veteran bench. Lue called Garland the “head of the snake” before the season. Through three games, the offense goes as far as Garland’s decision-making takes it. He scored 30 points in the opener and had 11 assists on Sunday, but he also turned it over six times against Oklahoma City.
What’s next for the Clippers
The Clippers come home for a rematch with the 3-0 Lakers on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Intuit Dome, five days after the 125-117 loss at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers arrive after a 52-point night from Luka Doncic in Utah and a home game against Portland on Tuesday. After that, the Clippers visit Minnesota on Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m. PT, play at Golden State on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 6:30 p.m. PT, and host Toronto on Monday, Nov. 2.
Sources disagreed on two small details. Mitchell’s minutes are listed as 28 by ESPN and the Los Angeles Times but 27 by CBS Sports, and Garland’s are listed as 36 by ESPN and 35 by CBS. We have used ESPN’s official box.
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