The L.A. Clippers (1-4) kick off their November slate of games at home against the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder (1-5) Monday night. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Thunder game preview.
Clippers vs. Thunder Game Information
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
When: 7:30 p.m. PT
How to Tune in: Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570 KLAC, KTMZ
Projected Starting Lineups:
L.A. Clippers: Eric Bledsoe – Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Nicolas Batum – Ivica Zubac
Oklahoma City Thunder: Josh Giddey – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Darius Bazley – Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – Derrick Favors
Injury Report:
L.A. Clippers: Serge Ibaka – OUT (Low Back – Injury Recovery), Keon Johnson – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Kawhi Leonard – OUT (Right Knee; ACL – Injury Recovery), Marcus Morris Sr. – OUT (Left Knee – Injury Maintenance), Jason Preston – OUT (Right Foot – Injury Recovery)
Oklahoma City Thunder: Gabriel Deck – OUT (Left Heel Contusion), Lugentz Dort – OUT (Right Shoulder Contusion), Vit Krejci – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Tre Mann – OUT (G League – On Assignment), Paul Watson – OUT (G League – Two-Way), Aaron Wiggins – OUT (G League – Two-Way)
The Big Picture
The Clippers are due for some wins. A team’s first five games of the NBA season is by no means enough to project their trajectory the rest of the way, but 1-4 is an ugly start no matter how you slice it. Although far from full strength, the Clippers are treading territory last ventured by the franchise’s last sub-.500 run in 2010-11, when a rookie Blake Griffin and 22-year-old Eric Gordon led LAC to a 32-50 record. They say you’re either winning or you’re learning, and for the Clippers, hopefully it’s time to see some of these learning moments being put to good use.
The Antagonist
There’s likely no better opportunity for the Clippers to get it going in today’s league than the one presented to them tonight. Oklahoma City has the youngest roster in the NBA this season with an average age of 23 years and 217 days. With five rookies, three sophomores and five players in just their third NBA season, the Thunder’s lone vets are 12-year-man Derrick Favors and Clipper legend Mike Muscala. While the Clippers’ recent struggles have looked pretty horrific in a condensed lens, OKC is one of the few teams to have shot worse than LAC, and rebound nearly just as poorly so far.
Amazing things can and still happen in this league, however, even for the tanking Thunder, who notoriously overcame a 26-point deficit to hand the Los Angeles Lakers a 123-115 loss in OKC last Wednesday. With a 27-9-5 stat line in that one, the ever-beloved former Clipper Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has continued to look well deserving of the five-year, $172 million maximum rookie contract extension he signed this summer. Interestingly enough, SGA has averaged 20.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists on 51.6/38.9/100 splits in his first six outings against the Clippers.
Clippers vs. Thunder Game Notes
- Starting Line Slumps: The Clippers are lacking some major offensive weapons to throw out there of course, but there’s been no denying that the decision to start Eric Bledsoe and Reggie Jackson together has looked questionable. With the starting backcourt combining for 33.5% shooting from the field and 26.5% from deep per game thus far, perhaps it’s time to see Luke Kennard or Terance Mann get the starting nod.
- Make-or-miss League: Coming off of a year in which the Clippers just had one of the most efficient perimeter-shooting regular seasons of all-time, it’s been extra painful to watch the team go as cold as it’s been thus far. Entering tonight, the Clippers have the eighth-best defensive rating in the league (102.3). As mentioned by Mirjam Swanson of the Southern California News Group, they also lead the NBA in most “open” shots taken per game at 28.4 FGA, yet have converted them at just a 35.2% clip. According to Shot Quality, the Clippers have been Top-3 with their shot selection, and are overwhelmingly the team most due for positive regression with their record.
- In Need of Some Board Men: After placing 17th in the rebounding department last season, LAC has been dead last in taking care of the glass thus far (41.0 RPG compared to the first-place Miami Heat’s 54.5). Per The Athletic’s Law Murray, the Clippers have grabbed a league-low 43.6% of available rebounds so far — a figure that would be the worst by an NBA team in the last 25 years if it were to somehow hold up. The struggle to secure rebounds has seen the Clippers often be on the wrong end of plays in transition. Perhaps that’s due to Ivica Zubac still feeling some of the effects of that MCL sprain. Or Marcus Morris Sr. and Serge Ibaka being out. Or guys still needing time to get in sync with one another. Whatever it is, the Clippers need to get the energy up and take care of the dirty work so they can get back to having some fun.
Feel free to stick around and chat down below as this article’s comment section will serve as our live game thread tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sign up for a free account and join the conversation!
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