Thunder at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are enduring a particularly brutal section of the schedule and reached a rough patch of late. The Clippers will try to avoid a third straight loss when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
The date with the Thunder marks just the second time in a stretch of 14 games that the team will play at home through the end of December and comes on the heels of back-to-back losses at San Antonio and Houston. Los Angeles squandered a fourth-quarter lead at the Spurs before shooting 39.5 percent and going quietly at the Rockets. The Thunder have won seven of their last eight and bounced back from the only loss in that span by pounding the Los Angeles Lakers 118-78 on Saturday. "We were just moving the basketball, playing the right way,” Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook told reporters. “Regardless of the score we have to play for ourselves and get better as a team."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Oklahoma, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE THUNDER (18-9): Most of the talk following Saturday’s rout centered around one possession in which everyone passed the ball repeatedly while coach Billy Donovan egged them on before a 3-pointer from Serge Ibaka. "We played the right way, moved the ball and let the ball find the shot. That was encouraging," reserve forward Nick Collison told reporters. "When we're running good offense, drawing two guys on the ball and then letting the ball find the shot, we're really tough to beat." The Thunder shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the win and are averaging 106.5 points in the last eight games.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (16-12): Road-weary Los Angeles was down 38-17 after the first quarter on Saturday and only Blake Griffin (9-of-13) and DeAndre Jordan (6-of-7) among the regulars managed strong shooting performances. The large early deficit gave Lance Stephenson a chance to get into the game, and the seldom-used forward went scoreless in 20 minutes while drawing six fouls. Stephenson scored 19 points in a loss to Indiana on Dec. 2 but has totaled 12 points in the last nine contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1 Thunder C Enes Kanter recorded a double-double in two of the last three games after posting one in the previous 11 contests.
2. Clippers G Austin Rivers (ankle) left Saturday’s game and is questionable for Monday.
3. Oklahoma City has not won at Los Angeles since winning the clinching Game 6 of the 2014 Western Conference semifinals.