Oklahoma City Thunder beat Chris Paul - less Los Angeles Clippers 109-97: NBA Recap
Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the red hot Los Angeles Clippers 109-97 here at the Staples Center on Tuesday night. The Clippers visibly missed the services of their star playmaker Chris Paul on the night, as the Thunder took the
game away in the second half.
Kevin Durant was on fire; he had 32 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 7 dimes, going 5 of 6 from behind the arc. Russell Westbrook added 26 points and dished out 6 assists, while Serge Ibaka had 17 points and 9 rebounds
in the winning cause.
"I couldn't find a shot early on because they were playing some great defense. They were putting multiple guys on me when I was driving and on pick-and-rolls, so I just tried to take what the defense was giving me and be aggressive,"
Durant said.
Durant scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half and whenever the Clippers started cutting the lead, he would score a big basket to put brakes on their surge.
Blake Griffin tried to match Durant point for point but the Clips fell out short in the end. Griffin posted a double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Jamal Crawford came off the bench to chip in with 14 points.
Thunder had carved out a 4 point advantage by the end of the second period and Westbrook nailed one from the three point land to push the lead to 7 early in the second half.
DeAndre Jordan scored one from the free throw line as the Thunder lost the possession twice without scoring, but Durant sank a three pointer after Jordan’s first trip while made a jump shot the next time around to push Thunder
advantage into double-digits.
Oklahoma City kept up the pressure and were leading 82-68 by the end of the third period. Thunder shot an amazing 6 of 7 from the three point land in the quarter. The Clippers went for a 7 nil spurt to open up the fourth period,
but Durant nailed a three pointer to put breaks on their charge and guide OKC to 109-97.
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