Game ID: 22300568
Oklahoma City Thunder @ LA Clippers
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 35 30 34 29 128OKC 30 31 28 28 117
LAC vs OKC ScoutingLAC vs OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAC availability going into 1/08 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 19 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 1/01 after 4, 35 min since (101% of 34)
BACK Plumlee back 1/05 after 27, 7 min since (51% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 1/05 after 4, 6 min since (47% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/01 after 2, 5 min since (47% of 10)
LAC availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 20 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 1/07, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 1/01 after 4, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Plumlee back 1/05 after 27, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/01 after 2, 5 min since (46% of 10)
LAC availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 21 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 1/07, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/05 after 27, 6 min since (42% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 22 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 2 since 1/10, returns tonight: 16 min (111% of 14)
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 1/07, out tonight
LAC availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 23 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 5 since 1/07, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 16 min since (111% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/21 · 4 days' restOUT Zubac missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 24 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 6 since 1/07, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 22 min since (155% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 25 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 7 since 1/07, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 1/14, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 20 min since (138% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/26 · 2 days' restOUT Zubac missed 4 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 26 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 8 since 1/07, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 14)
OUT Boston missed 4 since 1/14, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 10)
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 20 min since (138% of 14)
LAC availability going into 1/27 · back-to-backOUT Zubac missed 5 since 1/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 27 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Plumlee back 1/14 after 2, 21 min since (145% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 1/26 after 8, 2 min since (12% of 14)
BACK Boston back 1/26 after 4, 2 min since (16% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 8 since 12/26, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 9 since 12/26, returns tonight: 23 min (225% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 23 min since (225% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 16 min since (154% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/16 · back-to-backBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 15 min since (144% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/18 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 12 min since (118% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/20 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/11 after 9, 12 min since (118% of 10)
OKC availability going into 1/23 · 2 days' restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/24 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 22 a game. Without Tucker (23 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 107, shooting 52 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 45 percent from three to OKC's 36. Call it the Clippers 117, OKC 115, OKC keeping it close.
1/08 vs PHX 138-111 — LAC notes
LAC won 138-111. LAC shot 62% (53 of 85) to PHX's 49%, 15 of 29 from three, and got to the line 23 times to PHX's 29. The glass went 44-25 for them. George led with 25 (10 of 19, 4 of 9 from three); Harden added 19, Zubac 19. The hinge was Q4, 37-20: a lead of 10 became 27, and the lead reached 30. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
1/10 vs TOR 126-120 — LAC notes
LAC won 126-120. LAC shot 53% (49 of 93) to TOR's 55%, 15 of 34 from three. LAC turned it over 7 times to TOR's 14. George led with 29 (12 of 22, 5 of 9 from three); Leonard added 29, Harden 14. The hinge was Q4, 35-28: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 6. George was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/12 @ MEM 128-119 — LAC notes
LAC won 128-119. LAC shot 55% (49 of 89) to MEM's 43%, 15 of 31 from three, and got to the line 20 times to MEM's 27. George led with 37 (12 of 18, 7 of 10 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Leonard added 22, Coffey 13. The hinge was Q2, 42-27: LAC came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 23. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/14 @ MIN 105-109 — LAC notes
LAC lost 105-109. LAC took 16 more shots (83 to 67), but shot 43% to MIN's 57%, 17 of 39 from three, and got to the line 18 times to MIN's 31. LAC turned it over 11 times to MIN's 17. Leonard led with 26 (9 of 19, 2 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Powell added 24, George 16. Q2 was theirs, 26-17, the deficit cut from 10 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 92-79 against them. Leonard's -13 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/16 vs OKC 128-117 — LAC notes
LAC won 128-117. LAC shot 54% (47 of 87) to OKC's 51%, 20 of 43 from three. George led with 38 (15 of 24, 6 of 12 from three); Harden added 16, Leonard 16. The hinge was Q3, 34-28: a lead of 4 became 10. Leonard was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
1/21 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 54 percent and 47 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 29 and Leonard at 22 a game. Without Zubac (2 straight), Tucker (24 straight). 4 days' rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bridges at 26 and Thomas at 20 a game. Without Simmons (34 straight), Clowney (10 straight), Wilson (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 47 percent from three to Brooklyn's 33 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-2 a night and Brooklyn minus-3. Call it the Clippers 119, Brooklyn 112.
1/23 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 46 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 23 a game. Without Zubac (3 straight), Tucker (25 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 117, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Russell at 27 and James at 26 a game. Without Vincent (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 46 percent from three to the Lakers' 39 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 13 times a game to the Clippers' 10. Call it the Clippers 120, the Lakers 114.
1/26 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Barrett at 23 and Barnes at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Poeltl (8 straight), Freeman-Liberty (3 straight). 3 days' rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 53 percent and 48 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 24 and Leonard at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Zubac (4 straight), Tucker (26 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 48 percent from three to Toronto's 32 and the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-0 a night and Toronto minus-5. Call it the Clippers 116, Toronto 113, Toronto keeping it close.
1/27 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Porziņģis at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Zubac (5 straight), Tucker (27 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 105 a night to the Clippers' 113. Call it Boston 118, the Clippers 112.
1/10 @ MIA 128-120 — OKC notes
OKC won 128-120. OKC shot 59% (51 of 86) to MIA's 46%, 14 of 33 from three, and got to the line 16 times to MIA's 28. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 28 (11 of 17, 2 of 5 from three); Holmgren added 23, Jal. Williams 19. The hinge was Q3, 34-27: OKC came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 3, and the lead reached 16. OKC trailed 65-69 at the half and won the second half 63-51. Micić was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/11 vs POR 139-77 — OKC notes
OKC won 139-77. OKC shot 57% (53 of 93) to POR's 28%, 14 of 35 from three, and went to the line 22 times to POR's 16 — 19 points from the stripe to their 10. The glass went 59-42 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (11 of 15, 1 of 3 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Jal. Williams added 21, Holmgren 19. The hinge was Q3, 43-17: a lead of 36 became 62. Giddey was the night's best plus/minus at +46.
1/13 vs ORL 112-100 — OKC notes
OKC won 112-100. OKC shot 46% (43 of 94) to ORL's 46%, 8 of 36 from three. OKC turned it over 8 times to ORL's 15. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 37 (13 of 20, 0 of 4 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Jal. Williams added 16, Holmgren 15. The hinge was Q2, 26-19: a lead of 2 became 9, and the lead reached 16. Giddey was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/15 @ LAL 105-112 — OKC notes
OKC lost 105-112. OKC took 12 more shots (96 to 84), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 42% to LAL's 52%, 15 of 49 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 18 fouls committed. OKC turned it over 11 times to LAL's 17. Jal. Williams led with 25 (10 of 18, 2 of 4 from three); Gilgeous-Alexander added 24, Dort 11. Q2 was theirs, 24-23, the deficit cut from 1 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 89-81 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander's -12 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/16 @ LAC 117-128 — OKC notes
OKC lost 117-128. OKC shot 51% (42 of 83) to LAC's 54%, 16 of 34 from three. Jal. Williams led with 25 (10 of 14, 2 of 3 from three); Gilgeous-Alexander added 19, Dort 19. Q2 was theirs, 31-30, the deficit cut from 5 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 98-86 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander's -19 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/18 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 29 free throws a game; Markkanen at 26 and Sexton at 24 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Hendricks (2 straight), Horton-Tucker (6 straight), Juzang (16 straight). 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-11 a night and OKC plus-2 and the line, where Utah takes 29 free throws a game to OKC's 18. Call it Utah 119, OKC 117, OKC keeping it close.
1/20 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 23 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Towns at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 109, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 44 percent from three to OKC's 36. Call it Minnesota 115, OKC 114, OKC keeping it close.
1/23 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Grant at 24 and Brogdon at 20 a game. Without Sharpe (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Portland has been minus-1 a night and OKC minus-5. Call it OKC 119, Portland 110.
1/24 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 28 and Vassell at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 37 percent from three to San Antonio's 32 and the defense, OKC allowing 115 a night to San Antonio's 122. Call it OKC 118, San Antonio 116, San Antonio keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
MI Micic
OD O. Dieng
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
VM V. Micić
LACAC A. Coffey
DT D. Theis
JH J. Harden
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
OKC/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
George scores season-high 38 points to lead Clippers over Thunder 128-117 for 9th win in 11 games
LOS ANGELES -- — Paul George scored 18 of his season-high 38 points in the fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-117 on Tuesday night for their ninth win in 11 games.
Kawhi Leonard and James Harden added 16 points apiece to complete a big day for the franchise. Earlier, Commissioner Adam Silver announced the 2026 All-Star Game will be held at the Clippers’ under-construction arena in Inglewood, where they begin play next season.
Jalen Williams scored 25 points and Lu Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each added 19 points for the Thunder, the West's No. 2 team that has dropped two in a row after winning nine of 12 coming into Los Angeles.
“We gave ourselves every chance to win that game and they outplayed us in the final 3 1/2 minutes,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “That's how you learn about ourselves. It's exciting to know that we're drawing teams' best punches out of them.”
After trailing by 13 points in the third, the Thunder stormed back to lead 115-114 on a 3-pointer by Williams.
That's when George took over.
He scored 11 of the Clippers' final 14 points for an empathetic end to what started out as a back-and-forth game early in the fourth. He hit two 3-pointers and ended the surge with a steal and one-handed dunk.
“Once I see the ball going in, I feel confident and ultra-aggressive,” George said. “Throughout my career, it takes a couple (shots) to kind of ease into the game."
George hit six 3-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds and had five assists to go with three steals and no turnovers.
“Him taking over that fourth and just putting his will on the game gets us over that hump,” Leonard said. “He made shots and he made defensive plays as well.”
The Thunder closed to 79-77 in the third on a 9-0 run that began and ended with 3-pointers by Isaiah Joe .
The Clippers answered with a 20-12 run capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Daniel Theis and Norman Powell to lead 99-89 going into fourth.
“We responded well,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “To hold onto the lead and make our own run says a lot about our team.”
Clippers center Ivica Zubac missed his second straight game with a right calf strain and will be re-evaluated in a month. Mason Plumlee had 14 points in his first start of the season in Zubac’s place.