Los Angeles Clippers shut down Oklahoma City Thunder in second half to win 92-77: NBA Recap
The Los Angeles Clippers secured a dominating victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder here at the Staples Center, beating them 92-77.
The Clips went into this match having officially clinched a playoff spot. With this win, the Clippers won the season series 3-1 against Oklahoma City, the only team in the West to have won against OKC three times this season. They
have now won their last 4 games. OKC, on the other hand, once again lost their top seed in the West to San Antonio Spurs after this loss. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Nick Young came off the bench for the Clippers and scored a team high 19 points, going 7 of 10 from the field and 3 for 4 from the long range. Kevin Durant led the Thunder scoring with 24 points, but was 7 of 18 from the field.
The 1st quarter was closely contested by both teams, with Oklahoma taking the edge near the end. Derek Fisher hit a three to close the quarter and give OKC a 27-21 lead. OKC opened the 2nd quarter with a three
as well, this time by James Harden. That was followed by two free throws by Fisher to give OKC a 32-21 lead early in the 2nd.
OKC later went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 44-33, and finished the 1st half leading 52-43.
However, the Clippers came back from half time fully charged and with a new game plan. They opened the 3rd quarter with 6 consecutive points all part of a 9-1 run to come within one of OKC, trailing 52-53 with 7:54 left
in the period.
OKC managed to retain the lead throughout the quarter but the Clippers were right on their tail and tied the game at 66 with a free throw by Blake Griffin to end the 3rd quarter.
The Clippers took the lead for the first time in the game with a 3 pointer by Mo Williams. 2 slam dunks by Blake Griffin capped off a 13-5 run by the Clippers to lead 84-74 with 4:43 remaining in the game. The Thunder could not
come back in the game and the Clippers held on to win 92-77. Oklahoma City were only 3 of 11 from the field in the final quarter, managing only 11 points in the period resulting in them being held to their lowest total for the season.
Blake Griffin had 17 points and 11 rebounds while Chris Paul added 12 points and 10 assists. Mo Williams had 11 points on the night for the Clippers. Serge Ibaka had 12 points and 8 rebounds for OKC and James Harden added 12. Russell
Westbrook struggled in the game, going 4 of 16 from the field to manage only 9 points. Kendrick Perkins had only 3 points on the night from 1 of 2 shooting.
The Clippers shot 44.4% from the field compared with 37.5% for OKC. The Thunder were also a meagre 5 of 22 from 3 point range while the Clippers went 9 of 20. Clips also won the rebounding contest, grabbing 46 rebounds, 4 more
than the Thunder. They had 21 assists compared to only 12 for the Thunder.
OKC still struggled with turnovers, committing 19 in this game. The Clippers did a good job in the 4th quarter, shutting down the OKC stars and making them insignificant in the game.
"It's easy, we didn't make our shots in the second half. Give them credit. They did a good job of defending. They got hot from the 3-point line and we missed some shots and free throws" said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks after
the game.
Tags: