Fresh off beating the Thunder Friday night, the Clippers take on OKC again in this Sunday matinee game in Los Angeles. Check out the game preview for the Clippers against the Thunder, part two, below.

Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: 1:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Projected Starting Lineups

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – George Hill – Luguentz Dort – Darius Bazley – Isaiah Roby

Clippers: Patrick Beverley – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Nicolas Batum – Serge Ibaka

Injuries

Thunder: Al Horford Doubtful (Personal reasons), Trevor Ariza Out (Away from team), Josh Hall Out (Medical Protocols), Ty Jerome Out (Ankle)

Clippers: None

The Big Picture

The Clippers have won six games in a row, but they aren’t even the hottest team in the NBA, as the Jazz have won seven straight contests. The Clippers’ defensive rating, which had been ranked 25th in the NBA prior to their run, now sits at 16th, and they’re within shouting distance of the top 10. However, it’s not just the Clippers’ rapidly improving defense that is winning them games, but a dominant attack that ranks as the top offense in the NBA. The Clippers are being powered by their superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who are each playing at an MVP level, and look much more synergized than they did at any point last season. In short, the Clippers are playing extremely well. Now, it must be said that their strength of schedule in this stretch has been really weak – but good teams take care of bad teams, and the Clippers beating inferior teams is something they struggled with at times last season. Therefore, the Clippers beating down the Thunder in another game would be a good preview for their 2021 campaign.

The Antagonist

The Thunder are not very good. Their 6-8 record is not bad, but they have the worst offense in the league and the 21st ranked defense. As seen in the Clippers’ win Friday, the Thunder simply lack offensive options and shooting. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a stud and playing at an All-Star level, but he doesn’t have much help. Lu Dort and Mike Muscala can both hit threes, and Al Horford and George Hill are savvy veterans, but nobody outside Shai can consistently create shots for themselves or others. In fact, the second-best playmaker on the Thunder might be second-round rookie Theo Maledon, who is still adjusting to the NBA and hasn’t been able to score effectively thus far. Their defense, as mentioned, is fine, but not much better, and they just can’t score enough to keep up with most teams unless they’re getting out in transition. Mark Daigneault has done well so far in keeping this young squad fighting and playing hard, but they’re probably going to end up towards the bottom of the competitive Western Conference.

Notes

Kawhi and PG in 50/40/90 Club: Paul George, famously, is sitting at a ridiculous 52/50/92 line, which at his volume has never been done before. However, his superstar running mate is just a hair away from being a member of the 50/40/90 club as well. Kawhi Leonard is currently shooting 49.8% from the field, 41.5% from three, and 89.7% from the free throw line. That free throw number would be the highest mark of his career, while the other two are his highest since the 2016 season. In short, both players are scoring the ball at phenomenal efficiency from all over the court, and have been near impossible to stop as scorers. Very few players have ever been part of the 50/40/90 club, especially at such high scoring volume, and certainly teammates have never done so.

Nic Batum New Father Campaign: Nic Batum just welcomed a daughter yesterday, and celebrated by having an exceptional game against the Thunder. He’s still shooting the ball exceptionally well from three (47.1%) on good efficiency, and is contributing as a rebounder and playmaker as well. Where he’s perhaps been most impressive outside of shooting, however, is as a defender. Batum has guarded opposing players ranging from point guards to centers, and his size and smarts have made him adept at switching everything alongside George and Leonard. Not only has Batum stayed in front of opposing players well, he’s also consistently forced turnovers and pushed the pace in transition for easy buckets. It’s hard to overstate how good Nic has been this season. He’s been the Clippers’ third-best player this season, and it hasn’t been remotely close.

Getting Big Men on Track: The Clippers have been very good this season despite receiving very inconsistent production from their big men. Serge Ibaka started off the season on a roll but has had plenty of games without making much impact, while Ivica Zubac has dipped on defense and as a rebounder from last season. Zu has strung together multiple good games in a row, and both he and Ibaka were dominant on Friday against the young and undersized Thunder frontcourt. If those guys start playing a bit more consistently the Clippers could really take off.

Well, that’s about it for this preview of the Clippers’ second straight game against the Thunder. Comment on the game below, and check for both my recap and a new episode of TLTJTP after the game.

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