Broadcast Information
- Tip-off: 9:30 p.m. CT
- Television: TNT
- Radio: WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network
LOS ANGELES – It’s the third game out of six straight on the road, and a stretch of eight-out-of-nine away from home to finish out the month of January. Nevertheless, the Thunder just keeps trucking along, and tonight will square off against a fellow Western Conference power, the LA Clippers.
As it saw in Minnesota on Friday and Sacramento on Monday, the Thunder has to be prepared for the inevitable runs made by the home team tonight at the Staples Center. The Clippers are a highly talented, veteran and savvy group with Chris Paul at the helm at point guard, DeAndre Jordan crashing the glass and crushing rims. With shooters like JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford on the wing, Head Coach Billy Donovan’s team will have to deal with threats from just about every angle for all 48 minutes.
“You have to be able to weather storms, in particular when you’re on the road,” Donovan said. “There are going to be these surges.
The Thunder’s job will be even more challenging if it doesn’t have the services of Steven Adams, who missed most of the second half of the Thunder’s 122-118 win over the Sacramento Kings due to concussion-like symptoms. In his place on Sunday night, Enes Kanter stepped up, not just with a season-best 29 points to go with 12 rebounds in 32 minutes, but he also did a nice job of forcing DeMarcus Cousins to work for his points and playing within the Thunder’s defensive schemes.
“(Kanter) has always given effort, it’s just the awareness of what’s getting ready to come and happen, and him being late. There are other times you see him do an incredible job of moving his feet,” Donovan explained of his young big man’s growing defense. “What I’ve tried to do is hold him to a standard of what I think he can do.”
Another player who has been making strides for the Thunder and will be vital against the Clippers tonight is Victor Oladipo. The big, physical shooting guard has not only been proficient as a spot up shooter from behind the arc, but on Sunday showed a knack for attacking downhill, finishing through contact and completing his layups. At times there’s a tendency for all players to try to get creative around the rim to evade the swath of defensive arms that rise up around the basket, but Oladipo has been working on converting around the basket with power in addition to finesse.
“(Oladipo) is trying to get there a little bit more,” Donovan noted. “Guys who are playing in drop pick and roll coverage, it can be enticing to take that pull up. That’s why they’re in drop, because they want you to take that shot. There are a lot more options for Victor to make other than taking that shot.”
In order to keep the scoreboard moving with the Clippers’ high-voltage offensive attack, the Thunder will have to get contributions from not just Kanter and Oladipo but also role players like Alex Abrines, Jerami Grant, Andre Roberson and Domas Sabonis, all of whom contributed to the win in Sacramento. The orchestrator of that offensive diversity is Russell Westbrook, who even in averaging over 30 points a game to go with a triple-double has managed an egalitarian approach to the Thunder’s offensive output.
“I love to see my teammates be successful,” Westbrook said. “That’s the best part of the game – to be able see them make shots, to make it easy for them, to see a smile on their face.”
Mid-Season Numbers:
- Russell Westbrook is averaging a ridiculous 30.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game
- Victor Oladipo is averaging 16.4 points per game on a career-best 45.3 percent shooting and 37.2 percent three-point shooting
- Enes Kanter is averaging 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting an incredible 56.7 percent from the field
- Steven Adams is scoring 12.0 points on a team-best 59.6 percent shooting and is grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game
- Jerami Grant is shooting 40.0 percent from three-point range this season and has 29 dunks