The Clippers had several strong individual performances, but lost on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City. Keep reading for a full recap of the Clippers’ loss to the Thunder.
Summary
The entire first half blended together in a bit of a miasma of mediocre basketball. The Clippers had an early lead, but the Thunder fought back, and for the last half of the first period and all of the second they nursed an advantage that ranged from three to nine points. The Thunder were unable to get the lead to double-digits, but the Clippers could not get over the hump. Tre Mann and Lu Dort starred for the Thunder in the first half with double-digit points apiece, while the starters as a whole played well for the Clippers. Luke Kennard continued to be aggressive as a shooter, while Terance Mann pulled down rebounds and attacked in transition.
The same pattern continued in the third quarter, as the Clippers and Thunder alternated small pushes. The Thunder particularly burned the Clippers in transition, with every bucket being met by a basket at the other end. Reggie Jackson and Eric Bledsoe struggled for much of the period, but finally, late, Bledsoe hit back to back threes (or so it seemed) to tie the game. A few possessions later, a Batum three and a driving layup by Bledsoe put the Clippers up one entering half. Unfortunately, during the quarter break, one of the Bledsoe threes was reviewed, and determined to have come after the shot clock expired, pushing the Clips back down two.
Both teams struggled to start the 4th, with a scoreless first two minutes. The Clippers finally tied the game on Zubac free throws, but the offensive woes continued for both teams. Finally, the Clippers took the lead for real on a Batum three. However, the Thunder charged right back after a timeout, scoring eight straight points to re-open a small lead. The Clippers regrouped following their open timeout, and worked their way back into a lead, largely based on some solid defense. Unfortunately, on a stop, Isaiah Hartenstein injured his ankle, and was taken out for Justise Winslow. Some awful Reggie Jackson hero-ball kept the Clippers scoreless, but a massive Batum three put the Clippers up four with 30 seconds to go. The Thunder scored, Reggie Jackson hit free throws, and the Thunder scored again. Down two, they fouled Justise Winslow, who promptly missed both free throws. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got the ball, and like the star he is, drained the game winner on a stepback three.
Notes
Mann and Kennard Shine: The Clippers have now lost two in a row, but there’s huge encouragement in the way Luke Kennard and Terance Mann have played of late. Luke had 27 points in this one, and made 7 of his 13 threes. It’s the attempts that are more critical than the makes there, as with Paul George and Marcus Morris out, and Batum limited, Luke is the only high-percentage high-volume three point shooter. Him chipping in seven rebounds is just a bonus. Mann, for his part, had seven boards of his own, and scored 18 points on 12 shots by aggressively attacking the rim and getting to the line. The Clippers were at their best with those two games in the game flanked by Nic Batum, and their getting in a rhythm bodes well for when Paul George returns.
Nico Returns: Speaking of Batum, he looked fantastic in his 25 minutes, making four of his six threes (which constituted all of his shots) and playing his usual excellent defense. His rebounding wasn’t quite there, and he didn’t attempt anything off the dribble, but he did all of his classic connecting stuff, and the shooting was nice to see. Welcome back, Nico. Hopefully he can stay healthy for a good stretch.
Eric and Reggie Struggle: Reggie Jackson and Eric Bledsoe combined to shoot 9-33 from the field (around 27%) and 3-14 from three (21%). Considering how awful that is, and the fact they only took four free throws (making all of them), it’s a wonder the Clippers were even in this one. Reggie looks tired to his bones, which is understandable considering the load that’s been placed on him all season, but he simply has to be smarter in crunch time and do less hero ball when he’s having an off night. Bledsoe had one good stretch in the third, but was miserable offensively outside of that, and continues to struggle to finish around the rim. When those guys don’t score efficiently, the Clippers have little chance of winning when they’re also without George, Morris, and Leonard. The Thunder actually had more firepower than the Clippers in this one, as the recap probably makes evident, and that’s a bad sign until the Clips get healthy.
Boston Fades: Brandon Boston Jr. has seen his role shrink in the past week with a handful of consecutive bad games, and logged only five minutes in this one, all in the first half. He had no points, rebounds, or assists (though he did have a nice steal) and also had a poor turnover and a couple stagnant offensive possessions. He has a lot of talent, but he’s a young rookie selected late in the 2nd round, so it’s not a huge surprise he’s running into a bit of a wall. As the Clippers regain health, he will probably return to the bench, but it’s still been a good run for him.
That about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ loss to the Thunder. Leave your disappointment in the comments below!
