The Clippers take on the Thunder for the first of a home-and-home two-game series in what is a massive game for the playoff standings.
Game Information
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
When: 7:30 PM PT
How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal
Projected Starting Lineups
Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Lu Dort – Josh Giddey – Jalen Williams – Jaylin Williams
Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Injuries
Thunder: Chet Holmgren Out (Foot), Kenrich Williams Out (Wrist)
Clippers: Norman Powell Out (Shoulder), Brandon Boston Jr. Out (Tailbone), Moussa Diabate Out (G-League), Jason Preston Out (G-League), Xavier Moon Out (G-League)
The Big Picture
The Clippers have won five of their last six games, and no matter how unimpressive the fashion in which they won, that winning burst has given them some much needed breathing room in the standings. Ty Lue has also slowly settled into rotations, with a set starting lineup (no matter the protests), fairly regular lineup adjustments (Kawhi playing the whole first and third quarters, Paul George playing with the bench at the start of the second and fourth), and a group of players consistently out of the rotation (Robert Covington, Amir Coffey, Bones Hyland, and the youngsters). Even though some of those units have been shaky (the bench has been pretty awful), the consistency has helped in reducing turnovers and making the defense a bit more sturdy. There is a long, long ways to go, but the Clippers should be able to make the playoffs proper if they keep playing at this level.
The Antagonist
A lot has changed for the Thunder since they beat the Clippers back to back in the 4th and 5th games of the season. Instead of a projected tanking, bottom-of-the-lottery team, the Thunder are a competitive group trying to make the playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not just an All-Star, not just a promising and dangerous young player, but a legitimate superstar who will almost certainly make an All-NBA team as a positive defender averaging 31.4 points per game on excellent efficiency. Jalen Williams, the 12th pick in the 2022 Draft, did not play against the Clippers, and now is a lock for the All-Rookie First team with an outside shot at Rookie of the Year. Josh Giddey has gone from very intriguing rookie with some major efficiency issues to consistently positive contributor with minor efficiency concerns. Isaiah Joe was out of the rotation at the start of the season. Now, Joe, who I wanted the Clippers to draft over Daniel Oturu, is a rotation mainstay and one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the NBA. Mark Daigneault is a flexible and adaptable coach who has kept his team fighting hard all season and is not afraid to try lots of different players in any given game. The Thunder are actually underperforming their metrics, as they’re 10th in Defensive Rating, 14th in Offense, and 10th overall, with their 1.4 Net Rating placing 5th in the West. They might not be quite ready for a playoff run this year, but they’re coming.
Notes
Feed the Big Man: The Thunder’s center, Jaylin William, is just 6’10 and 240 pounds, and is a rookie with under 1K minutes of NBA experience. While he’s had a very nice rookie season, he is at a significant size and strength disadvantage against Ivica Zubac. The Clippers don’t frequently just throw the ball to Zu in the post – honestly, they should do it more considering how efficient he is there – but should really try to get him going against Williams. If Zu can get Williams in foul trouble, the next man up at center for the Thunder is stretch forward Dario Saric, who really can’t bang with Zu. The Clippers don’t need to post Zu up every possession, but a steady diet of post-ups would be nice.
Containing Shai: For as talented as the Thunder’s other young players are, the only truly frightening player on their roster this season is our old pal SGA. Shai is having a simply monstrous season, and is one of the best scorers in the NBA. He has actually reduced the amount of threes he’s taken this year by a significant margin, instead focusing on getting to the rim and the free throw line. If you take the paint away, he’s deadly from mid-range, and his 6’6 size with long wingspan enables him to fire even over large perimeter defenders like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Shai will absolutely get his, but the Clippers need to do their best to keep him off the line. He could very well midrange the Clippers to death, but that’s a better alternative than seeing him live at the stripe.
Keeping Track of Joe: As mentioned above, Isaiah Joe has developed into quite a weapon for the Thunder. He’s the fifth-leading scorer on the Thunder at 9.1 points per game, but has been at 11.7 after the All-Star break. Joe takes 5.2 of his 6.5 shot attempts per game from three, and hits them at a 43.3% clip. And those aren’t just spot-ups, as Joe is fantastic freeing himself off movement, can take them off a dribble or two, and will shoot from up to 28 feet out. The Clippers have been burned by movement shooters quite a bit this year, and Joe is someone who can quickly score buckets of points if you aren’t keeping up with him off-ball.
Standings Impact: The Thunder are currently 35-36, 8th in the West. The Clippers are 38-34, 5th in the West. If the Thunder win this one, they’ll be just a single loss back of the Clippers, well within striking distance. Conversely, a Clippers win would send the Thunder to three losses behind, making the possibility of their catching the Clips (even with a win in Thursday’s game) fairly unlikely.