Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted a late push from the LA Clippers for a 108-101 win Sunday at Paycom Center. The result in this Thunder vs Clippers recap pushed Oklahoma City to 3-0, while the Clippers fell to 1-2.
Oklahoma City pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring LA 34-30 in the period behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring and a steady diet of points in the paint. Darius Garland led the Clippers with 16 points and 11 assists, but Derrick Jones Jr. finished a team-worst minus-18 as LA’s offense stalled down the stretch.
Key Moments: How The Thunder Pulled Away
The game stayed tight for most of the first half. Oklahoma City led 23-20 after the first quarter before the Clippers answered with a 26-20 second to take a 46-43 edge into the break, fueled by three three-pointers from Brook Lopez and Kobe Sanders off the bench.
The Thunder flipped the script after halftime. Isaiah Jackson’s dunk had briefly extended the Clippers’ lead to 48-43 early in the third, but Oklahoma City answered immediately with an Isaiah Hartenstein dunk and a Gilgeous-Alexander pullup jumper to cut the deficit to 48-47. From there, the Thunder controlled the pace, outscoring LA 34-30 in the quarter and 31-25 in the fourth to close out the win.
Oklahoma City’s defense forced 26 turnovers from the Clippers while committing just 16 of its own, and the Thunder turned that advantage into 38 points off LA miscues. Oklahoma City also won the paint battle 64-36, a gap that proved decisive against a Clippers team that shot 39% from three but could not match the Thunder’s interior pressure.
Top Performers
Gilgeous-Alexander went 13-for-26 from the field and 7-for-8 at the free throw line, adding six rebounds, five assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Hartenstein posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Alex Caruso dished out a team-high six assists. Chet Holmgren added 10 points.
For the Clippers, Garland’s 16 points and 11 assists led the way, and Kris Dunn finished with 15 points, six assists and five steals. Isaiah Jackson chipped in 10 points and six rebounds, but the Clippers shot just 46% from the field as a team and were outrebounded 46-38.
What It Means
The win keeps Oklahoma City perfect at 3-0 and atop the Northwest Division standings alongside Minnesota, both unbeaten through three games. The Thunder also now lead the season series with the Clippers 1-0.
LA dropped to 1-2 and sits third in the Pacific Division, two games behind the 3-0 Lakers. The Clippers have now lost two straight after opening the season with a win, and their defense has allowed at least 101 points in both losses.
What’s Next
The Thunder and Clippers do not have their next matchups listed in the available schedule data. Oklahoma City will look to continue its unbeaten start, while LA will try to snap its two-game skid as the early-season Western Conference race takes shape. For more on this matchup, see the Clippers vs Thunder preview.
Readers can also catch up on the Clippers’ season-opening win in Clippers open season with 121-96 rout of Kings and track the injury that has already hit LA’s rotation in Clippers’ Max Strus suffers right foot injury in debut. The Lakers’ hot start, which currently sits ahead of the Clippers in the Pacific, is detailed in Clippers vs Lakers preview.
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