The LA Clippers held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-112 in NBA Cup group play on Friday at Intuit Dome, with Brook Lopez scoring 26 points to offset a 40-point night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Oklahoma City outscored LA 40-25 in the third quarter to erase an early deficit, but the Clippers answered with a 31-point fourth that proved decisive. Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers, going 15 of 26 from the field, while Isaiah Hartenstein added 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Thunder. Darius Garland finished with 24 points and seven assists for LA in the win.
Key Moments: How The Clippers Won
LA built an early cushion behind Garland and Lopez, who combined to score the Clippers’ first 12 points of the game. The Clippers led 33-27 after the first quarter and pushed their advantage to 57-44 by halftime, outscoring Oklahoma City 24-17 in the second period.
The Thunder’s response came in the third quarter, scoring 40 points to pull within three by period’s end. The Clippers’ largest lead was 15 points; Oklahoma City’s was seven. LA sealed the win with a 31-point fourth quarter.
Turnovers played a role in the margin. The Clippers finished with 11 giveaways to Oklahoma City’s 12, and LA scored 15 points off Thunder turnovers compared to 11 the other way.
Top Performers
Lopez led the Clippers with 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, adding seven rebounds, four assists and a block. Garland posted 24 points, seven assists and went a perfect 5 for 5 from the free-throw line. Rui Hachimura grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds to go with seven points. Derrick Jones Jr. scored 14 points, including 4 of 7 from three-point range.
For Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40 points came on 15-of-26 shooting with eight free throws made. Hartenstein nearly posted a double-double with 21 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, going 9 of 10 from the field. Jared McCain scored 23 points, hitting 7 of 11 from three-point range. Hartenstein’s plus-13 rating was the best mark on either roster.
What It Means
The loss dropped Oklahoma City to 8-5 and extended its losing streak to three games. The Thunder trail Portland and Minnesota by 1.5 games in the Northwest Division. The Clippers improved to 3-8 with the win, remaining seven games behind the Lakers in the Pacific.s losing streak reached three games. The result also squared the season series between the two clubs at 1-1, according to the official data.
For the Clippers, the win snapped a skid and improved their record to 3-8, though LA remains seven games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Standings. The victory marked LA’s first winning streak of the young season at one game.
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