Los Angeles Clippers Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Preview, Predictions and Stats

Some streaking Oklahoma City Thunder (27-5) will attempt to add their 13th consecutive streak when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers (19-14), who remain in direct playoff position and have already exceeded the first third of regular season.

Clippers vs Thunder date and time

Date: January 2.

Hour: These are the start times for the Clippers vs. Thunder depending on the time zone.

Seat: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Clippers Quintets Vs. Thunder

Los Angeles Clippers They will no longer have Kawhi Leonard, PJ Tucker and Terance Mann, so they will repeat the usual starting quintet with which they took the court this season. Of course, Kawhi's long-awaited return is scheduled for this Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks. For their part, Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso remain on the Oklahoma City Thunder injured list.

Latest news for the Clippers: injuries and form

Tyronn Lue's men are not doing badly at all despite the loss of Paul George this summer and still not being able to count on Kawhi Leonard this season. Oddly enough, this panorama served to unite the locker room and bring out the best in the group, with James Harden in charge and a stifling defense in support.

However, the Clippers cannot rest on the laurels of a very competitive Western Conference, as evidenced by the painful defeat they suffered in their last game against the San Antonio Spurs by a result of 122-86, putting into question the duel they had fought 24 hours earlier. in New Orleans.

“Mentally we have to be stronger and better,” Coach Lue said after the loss at Texas. And they are right, because tonight they will face one of the best teams in the NBA, a Thunder on a roll with very few cracks in their squad and against whom they have already gone down on their knees twice this season.

Player to watch: James Harden

The shooter is experiencing a second youth as a team leader on the field when he already took the role of co-protagonist for granted. He doesn't score as much as he used to, but where the Clippers need him is in creation: 14 of 19 wins have come with seven or more assists from him. The Thunder defended him very well in the two recent duels, so he will have to make quick decisions, look for his teammate, measure his efforts and take advantage of the shots that come his way.

Latest news for the Thunder: injuries and form

With this Tuesday's victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won twelve consecutive games, which constitutes the franchise's best streak since leaving Seattle in 2008.

The Thunder's last defeat – apart from that suffered in the NBA Cup final against Milwaukee, which does not count in the season's results – dates back to December 2, when they narrowly lost at the home of the Houston Rockets. Since then, they have been rolling: They outperform their rivals by 15.1 points per hundred possessions.

The team's success is based on defense, the stratospheric form of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the impact of Isaiah Hartenstein who proves that he is exactly what the Thunder needed: since its debut, Mark Daigneault's men are 16-1. . After the disappointment suffered last year against the Dallas Mavericks in the conference semi-finals, this year they are pulling out all the stops.

Player to watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Disputing for the title of MVP of the season with Nikola Jokic appears to be a private preserve that only Shai is capable of threatening. He garde He is averaging 33.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals during the Thunder's streak, which has opened a five-game lead over Memphis as the team leader. West. The team's record often makes the difference in tipping the scales in the MVP title and these Thunder are already tracking down the best record in the NBA, that of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mowers versus Thunder: history of confrontations

This will be the third meeting of the 2024-25 NBA season between the two franchises. The previous two duels took place in November and the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged victorious in both. For their part, the Clippers have had seven consecutive losses at the Paycom Center, where they have not won since March 2020. The Thunder also dominate the head to head historic by 147 victories to 86.

Predictions for the Clippers vs. Thunder

Solutions to stop Gilgeous-Alexander. Shai already scored 45 points for the Clippers in November and in recent weeks he has been on a rampage. This comes from the Timberwolves winding up with 40 points and since Christmas Day they have three games above 40 points. The Angelenos are defending this cape very well, but will it be enough to contain the storm?

The turnover figures. In the previous two games, the Clippers had a total of 46 turnovers, which translated to 55 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder. James Harden is performing at a good level, but the Angelenos don't have another truly reliable generator, which makes things very complicated against the Thunder's solid defense.

Battle of Pivots. During the last match, the Clippers put Mark Daigneault's men on the ropes thanks to their triple success – 20 successes in 37 attempts – and the offensive rebounds of Ivica Zubac and Derrick Jones Jr., who took advantage of the absences of Chet Holmgren. and Isaiah Hartenstein. The latter will play that day, so, a priori, the forces in the paint will be equal.

Where to watch Clippers vs. Thunder

The match between Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder can be seen in Spain through the NBA League Pass subscription and on Movistar+.

(Cover photo by Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)