3rd Quarter Report
After a tough defeat on the road their last time out, the Clippers look much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a 99-89 lead against the Thunder.
The Clippers came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Clippers
Current Records: Oklahoma City 27-12, Los Angeles 25-14
How To Watch
What to Know
Having just played yesterday, the Oklahoma City Thunder will head out on the road to face off against the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:00 p.m. ET on January 16th at Crypto.com Arena. Coming off a loss in a game the Thunder were expected to win, they now face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds.
The Thunder unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Monday. They took a 112-105 hit to the loss column at the hands of Los Angeles. The contest was a 50-50 toss-up at halftime, but the Thunder was outscored by the Lakers in the second.
The Thunder’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Jalen Williams, who scored 25 points along with six assists and three steals, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who scored 24 points along with six assists. Less helpful for the Thunder was Isaiah Joe’s abysmal 0-6 three-point shooting.
Meanwhile, it’s hard to win when your shooting is a whole 13.3% worse than the opposition, a fact the Clippers found out the hard way on Sunday. They fell to Minnesota 109-105. The Clippers have struggled against the Timberwolves recently, as their match on Sunday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kawhi Leonard, who scored 26 points along with nine rebounds.
Oklahoma City’s defeat dropped their record down to 27-12. As for Los Angeles, their defeat dropped their record down to 25-14.
Tuesday’s game is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Thunder haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.6 turnovers per game (they’re ranked first in turnovers per game overall). However, it’s not like the Clippers struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 12.5 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Thunder took their victory against the Clippers in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 by a conclusive 134-115. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Thunder since the squad won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
Los Angeles is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Oklahoma City, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Clippers as a 5-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 236.5 points.
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Series History
Oklahoma City has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Los Angeles.
- Dec 21, 2023 – Oklahoma City 134 vs. Los Angeles 115
- Mar 23, 2023 – Los Angeles 127 vs. Oklahoma City 105
- Mar 21, 2023 – Oklahoma City 101 vs. Los Angeles 100
- Oct 27, 2022 – Oklahoma City 118 vs. Los Angeles 110
- Oct 25, 2022 – Oklahoma City 108 vs. Los Angeles 94
- Apr 10, 2022 – Los Angeles 138 vs. Oklahoma City 88
- Dec 18, 2021 – Oklahoma City 104 vs. Los Angeles 103
- Nov 01, 2021 – Los Angeles 99 vs. Oklahoma City 94
- May 16, 2021 – Oklahoma City 117 vs. Los Angeles 112
- Jan 24, 2021 – Los Angeles 108 vs. Oklahoma City 100
