Two of the matchup's biggest stars won't be on the court, but the stakes will be high when Oklahoma City hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Both teams are trying to stay afloat in the loaded Western Conference with their star players — Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Thunder forward Kevin Durant — sidelined. The Clippers are fifth in the West while the Thunder are tied with New Orleans for the final playoff spot.
In addition to the absence of Griffin (elbow) and reserve guard Jamal Crawford (calf), Los Angeles point guard Chris Paul has been hobbled by a knee injury, though he managed to dish out 15 assists in Monday's 89-76 home win over Minnesota and is expected to play through it against the Thunder. "It just shows the depth of our team," Paul told reporters. "I don't want to hurt the team, but if I can contribute and help the team, we need all the bodies we can get." The Thunder know the feeling, having been without stars Durant and Russell Westbrook at times this season, and they recently got center Steven Adams back from an eight-game absence with a broken bone in his hand.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FSN Okahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (41-23): Los Angeles is a far less dynamic team with Griffin (22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds) and Crawford (16.4 points) out and Paul (18.2 points, 10.2 assists) under 100 percent. Guard J.J. Redick (15.1 points) and center DeAndre Jordan (11.2 points, 14.5 rebounds) are the only double-digit scorers healthy, and they combined for 46 points against the Timberwolves. The Clippers don't give up many second-chance points thanks to Jordan, who leads the NBA in rebounding and has grabbed double-digit boards in 57 of 64 games this season.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (35-28): Oklahoma City has won 10 of its last 13 despite the gnawing from the injury bug, mostly because Westbrook (27.4 points, 8.3 assists, 7.1 rebounds) has played at an MVP level. Westbrook has recorded triple-doubles in five of his past six games, including 30 points, 17 assists and 11 rebounds in Thursday's 108-104 win over Toronto. Big men Serge Ibaka (14.3 points, 7.9 rebounds) and Enes Kanter (14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds in eight games since being acquired from Utah) also have helped the Thunder stay afloat with Durant and Adams (7.4 points, seven rebounds) sidelined.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams have split the first two meetings this season with the home team winning each.
2. The matchup features two of the top four shot-blockers in the league in Ibaka (2.5 per game) and Jordan (2.2).
3. The Thunder have won seven straight home games, averaging 113.6 points at home over that stretch.