The Thunder’s three-game, West Coast road trip continues with a trip to Southern California to face the Clippers on Monday. The matchup will mark the fourth of five straight contests against Pacific Division opponents. After falling to Golden State on Saturday in a low scoring battle, the Thunder now turns the page to Los Angeles where it will go up against a much different test in the Clippers.
What to Watch
Digging in DefensivelyComing into Monday’s contest, the Clippers’ offense sits in the bottom five in the league in points per game, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Aside from a lopsided third quarter, the Thunder’s defense caused disruption against Golden State on Saturday. The team swatted away a season high six blocks while holding Golden State’s shooters to just 8-of-23 from behind the arc in the first half. Watch for how the Thunder works to disrupt LA’s offense on Monday.
Containing GeorgeThe Clippers offense is led by Paul George who has averaged 27.6 points per contest including two 40-plus point performances in his five games played. After defending the likes of sharp-shooter Stephen Curry on Saturday, keep an eye out for how the Thunder carries over those lessons and works to limit George’s looks on the defensive end.
“It’s gonna be a team effort,” said Thunder guard Lu Dort. “We’ve all got to be there. He’s a great player, he’s going to hit some tough shots, but you’ve just got to follow the scouting report and make everything tough.”
Free Throw DifferentialOn Saturday, the Thunder held Golden State to just eight attempts at the free throw line which marked the lowest it has held any opponent since March of 2019. So far this season, OKC holds the second highest free throw attempt differential in the league while the Clippers sit second-to-last. Keep an eye on how the Thunder takes advantage of the charity stripe on Monday.
Notable
Thunder rookie Jeremiah Robinson-Earl logged his second career start on Saturday against the Warriors. In that contest, the former Villanova standout logged six points shooting 3-of-6 from the field. So far this season, Robinson-Earl has demonstrated his versatility as a big man able to both roll to the basket and stretch the floor behind the arc out of ball screens. With his efficient shooting, Robinson-Earl leads all rookies in both field goal (55.6%) and 3-point shooting percentage (46.2%).
Quotable
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault… “We want to be consistent in terms of just being an efficient team on both ends of the floor and being an intelligent team that plays together and generates the best shot and prevents the best shot and I think we're on our way to do that but it's going take time. There's going to be ups and downs. Obviously [Saturday] was a down but I think we're trending in the right direction.”
Scouting Report
After dropping its last contest to the Trailblazers on Friday 111-92, the Clippers return to their home arena with a 1-4 record and two days’ rest between contests. In its most recent matchup against the Blazers, Clippers forward Paul George posted a game-high 42 points including six made 3-pointers and a 15-24 performance from the field.
LA has been without All-Star Kawhi Leonard (ACL recovery) as well as big man Serge Ibaka (low back injury) throughout all five of its contests so far this season. On the floor, the Clippers have received significant minutes from Reggie Jackson who averages 14 points per contest while Ivica Zubac anchors the paint averaging 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game this season.