Game ID: 22300799
LA Clippers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 35 26 35 33 129LAC 33 26 23 25 107
LAC @ OKC ScoutingLAC @ 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.
OKC availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 3 since 1/31, returns tonight: 35 min (110% of 32)
OUT Joe missed 3 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 12 min since (123% of 10)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 24 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/10 · 3 days' restOUT Joe missed 4 since 1/31, returns tonight: 16 min (89% of 18)
BACK Jal. Williams back 2/06 after 3, 35 min since (110% of 32)
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 12 min since (118% of 10)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 23 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/11 · back-to-backBACK Jal. Williams back 2/06 after 3, 31 min since (97% of 32)
BACK Joe back 2/10 after 4, 16 min since (89% of 18)
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 12 min since (121% of 10)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 23 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/13 · 1 day's restBACK Jal. Williams back 2/06 after 3, 33 min since (103% of 32)
BACK Joe back 2/10 after 4, 16 min since (89% of 18)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/22 · 8 days' restBACK Jal. Williams back 2/06 after 3, 33 min since (104% of 32)
BACK Joe back 2/10 after 4, 15 min since (84% of 18)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 21 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/23 · back-to-backBACK Jal. Williams back 2/06 after 3, 34 min since (106% of 32)
BACK Joe back 2/10 after 4, 16 min since (88% of 18)
OKC availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Joe back 2/10 after 4, 17 min since (93% of 18)
OKC availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 3 since 2/22, out tonight
OKC availability going into 2/29 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 2/22, out tonight
LAC availability going into 2/07 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 33 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 2/02, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 2/04, returns tonight: 4 min (35% of 10)
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 18 min since (68% of 27)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/10 · 2 days' restOUT Tucker missed 34 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 20 min since (74% of 27)
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 22 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 35 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 5 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 20 min since (74% of 27)
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 4 min since (35% of 10)
NEW Plumlee 14 to 20 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/14 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 36 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 6 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 2/04 after 9, 20 min since (76% of 27)
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 4 min since (42% of 10)
LAC availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT Tucker missed 37 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 7 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 6 min since (57% of 10)
LAC availability going into 2/23 · back-to-backOUT Theis missed 2 since 2/14, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 38 since 11/29, returns tonight: 14 min (95% of 15)
OUT Hyland missed 8 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Boston back 2/07 after 2, 5 min since (52% of 10)
LAC availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restOUT Theis missed 3 since 2/14, returns tonight: 14 min (85% of 17)
OUT Hyland missed 9 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 2/23 after 38, 14 min since (95% of 15)
NEW Coffey 21 to 26 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/28 · 2 days' restOUT Hyland missed 10 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 14 min since (85% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 2/23 after 38, 10 min since (65% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT George missed 2 since 2/25, returns tonight: 30 min (89% of 34)
OUT Hyland missed 11 since 2/02, returns tonight: 16 min (119% of 14)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 23 min since (134% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 2/23 after 38, 10 min since (68% of 15)
NEW Powell 26 to 32 min over the last 4
NEW Mann 25 to 31 min over the last 5
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 123 a night and allowing 125, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 25 a game. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. 8 days' rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 123, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 29 free throws a game; Leonard at 23 and Harden at 21 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Tucker (37 straight). 7 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 29 free throws a game to OKC's 20 and the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-6 a night and OKC minus-11. Call it OKC 121, the Clippers 118, the Clippers keeping it close.
2/06 @ UTA 117-124 — OKC notes
OKC lost 117-124. OKC shot 48% (43 of 90) to UTA's 52%, 19 of 37 from three. OKC turned it over 11 times to UTA's 17. The glass went 32-48 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 28 (11 of 22, 2 of 3 from three); Jal. Williams added 26, Holmgren 22. Q1 was theirs, 33-28, but the other 3 periods went 96-84 against them. They led by as many as 12. Dort's -12 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/10 @ DAL 111-146 — OKC notes
OKC lost 111-146. OKC shot 39% (38 of 98) to DAL's 58%, 17 of 47 from three, and got to the line 21 times to DAL's 33. The glass went 40-54 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 25 (9 of 16, 7 of 8 at the line); Wallace added 15, Holmgren 13. Q2 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 17 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 122-79 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander's -31 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/11 vs SAC 127-113 — OKC notes
OKC won 127-113. OKC shot 54% (46 of 85) to SAC's 49%, 13 of 27 from three, and went to the line 27 times to SAC's 13 — 22 points from the stripe to their 9. OKC turned it over 9 times to SAC's 18. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 38 (15 of 26, 3 of 4 from three, 5 of 9 at the line); Jal. Williams added 32, Dort 17. The hinge was Q2, 38-30: a lead of 2 became 10, and the lead reached 24. Dort was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
2/13 @ ORL 127-113 — OKC notes
OKC won 127-113. OKC shot 55% (46 of 84) to ORL's 45%, 13 of 32 from three. OKC turned it over 11 times to ORL's 16. The glass went 31-48 against them. Jal. Williams led with 33 (12 of 18, 3 of 6 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Gilgeous-Alexander added 32, Holmgren 13. The hinge was Q2, 29-20: OKC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 8, and the lead reached 21. Wallace was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
2/22 vs LAC 129-107 — OKC notes
OKC won 129-107. OKC shot 56% (50 of 90) to LAC's 45%, 17 of 35 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (12 of 19, 3 of 6 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Dort added 19, Jal. Williams 18. The hinge was Q3, 35-23: a lead of 2 became 14, and the lead reached 22. Wiggins was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
2/23 vs WAS — 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 122 a night and allowing 121, shooting 50 percent and 44 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Jal. Williams at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 125, shooting 45 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Avdija at 24 and Kuzma at 23 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Washington giving it away 15 times a game to OKC's 11 and the arc, OKC at 44 percent from three to Washington's 40. Call it OKC 124, Washington 115.
2/25 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Sengun at 18 and Thompson at 15 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 117, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 44 percent from three to Houston's 34 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-2 a night and OKC minus-4. Call it OKC 118, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
2/27 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 110, shooting 54 percent and 47 from three, 21 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 117, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Sengun at 19 and VanVleet at 17 a game. Without Tate (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 47 percent from three to Houston's 35 and the line, where Houston takes 29 free throws a game to OKC's 21. Call it OKC 122, Houston 110, OKC by 12.
2/29 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Vassell at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 106, shooting 53 percent and 46 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to San Antonio's 122 and the arc, OKC at 46 percent from three to San Antonio's 37. Call it OKC 122, San Antonio 111, OKC by 11.
2/07 vs NOP 106-117 — LAC notes
LAC lost 106-117. LAC shot 46% (36 of 78) to NOP's 53%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 26 times to NOP's 16 — 22 points from the stripe to their 11. LAC turned it over 19 times to NOP's 12, and NOP turned those into 13 steals. Harden led with 19 (6 of 11, 5 of 6 from three); Powell added 18, Leonard 15. Q2 was theirs, 28-19, the deficit cut from 17 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 98-78 against them. Plumlee's -16 in 15 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/10 vs DET 112-106 — LAC notes
LAC won 112-106. LAC shot 45% (37 of 82) to DET's 44%, 13 of 39 from three, and went to the line 26 times to DET's 7 — 25 points from the stripe to their 7. The glass went 35-57 against them. George led with 33 (14 of 24, 4 of 13 from three); Leonard added 24, Harden 14. The hinge was Q4, 36-25: LAC came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 6. LAC trailed 49-58 at the half and won the second half 63-48. Westbrook was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
2/12 vs MIN 100-121 — LAC notes
LAC lost 100-121. LAC shot 40% (34 of 84) to MIN's 53%, 9 of 28 from three, and went to the line 26 times to MIN's 19 — 23 points from the stripe to their 18. Leonard led with 18 (8 of 17, 1 of 3 from three); George added 18, Harden 17. Q2 was theirs, 29-21, turning a 4-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 100-71 against them. Powell's -22 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/14 @ GSW 130-125 — LAC notes
LAC won 130-125. LAC shot 50% (44 of 88) to GSW's 46%, 13 of 38 from three, and went to the line 37 times to GSW's 18 — 29 points from the stripe to their 13. Harden led with 26 (7 of 12, 4 of 9 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); George added 24, Powell 21. The hinge was Q4, 44-28: LAC came in trailing by 11 and left it ahead by 5. LAC trailed 52-59 at the half and won the second half 78-66. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
2/22 @ OKC 107-129 — LAC notes
LAC lost 107-129. LAC shot 45% (42 of 93) to OKC's 56%, 12 of 32 from three. Leonard led with 20 (9 of 12); Powell added 19, Harden 17. Q2 was theirs, 26-26, but the other 3 periods went 103-81 against them. Powell's -22 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/23 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 24 and Jackson at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Bane (18 straight), Pippen Jr. (2 straight), LaRavia (17 straight). 7 days' rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Leonard at 19 and George at 19 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Theis (2 straight), Tucker (38 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Memphis wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 26 free throws a game to Memphis's 18 and the defense, Memphis allowing 110 a night to the Clippers' 120. Call it Memphis 114, the Clippers 111, the Clippers keeping it close.
2/25 vs SAC — 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 110 a night and allowing 115, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Leonard at 22 and George at 21 a game. Without Theis (3 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 117, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Fox at 26 and Sabonis at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-5 a night and the Clippers minus-4 and the line, where the Clippers take 24 free throws a game to Sacramento's 18. Call it the Clippers 117, Sacramento 115, Sacramento keeping it close.
2/28 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 2-3 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Leonard at 20 and Harden at 18 a game. 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; James at 28 and Davis at 27 a game. They have lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Reddish (14 straight), Vanderbilt (9 straight), Vincent (31 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-0 a night and the Lakers minus-7 and the arc, the Lakers at 39 percent from three to the Clippers' 34. Call it the Clippers 118, the Lakers 117, the Lakers keeping it close.
3/01 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 22 and Harden at 19 a game. Without George (2 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 130, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Kuzma at 24 and Poole at 23 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Coulibaly (2 straight), Champagnie (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-1 a night and Washington minus-9 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 118 a night to Washington's 130. Call it the Clippers 123, Washington 112, the Clippers by 11.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
GH G. Hayward
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
OS O. Sarr
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
IZ I. Zubac
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
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers 129-107 on Thursday night in a matchup of Western Conference contenders.
Lu Dort added 19 points, Jalen Williams had 18 and Chet Holmgren 17 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder shot 55.6% from the field, made 17 3-pointers and blocked 12 shots.
“We came out with a great edge,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “Certainly slipped up a couple of times during the game but course-corrected very well and played a pretty complete 48 (minutes).”
The Thunder won the season series with Los Angeles and improved to 38-17 to move within a game of Western Conference-leading Minnesota.
Gordon Hayward played 14 minutes in his first game with the Thunder since being acquired in a trade with Charlotte. He missed both of his shots and had four rebounds.
Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points and Nolan Powell added 19 points for Los Angeles, which converted just 12 of 32 shots from beyond the arc. The third-place Clippers fell to 36-18.
“We had a lot of possessions and plays where we got in (the paint) and we didn’t make the right play, so they were able to get blocked shots and turnovers,” Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue said. “For the most part, I thought we did a good job. I thought we executed the game plan offensively. Defensively, we could have been a lot better.”
Both teams were playing for the first time since the All-Star break. The game featured the return to Oklahoma City of former Thunders players Paul George , James Harden and Russell Westbrook .
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s second-leading scorer, had 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to help the Thunder take a 61-59 lead at halftime. Powell had 14 off the bench to keep the Clippers close.
Oklahoma City took control early in the second half behind nine points from Isaiah Joe , who started the third quarter in place of Josh Giddey . Joe’s third dunk of the quarter put the Thunder up 81-74 with 5:59 left.
“I thought we were extremely connected, we were communicating well,” said Holmgren, who had seven rebounds and three blocked shots. “On top of that we had a lot of effort, there were a lot of effort plays, especially close to the rim.”
Giddey 3-pointer gave the Thunder a 91-79 advantage and the lead grew to 96-79 on a jumper by Gilgeous-Alexander with 35.2 seconds left in the quarter.
The Clippers cut it to 111-99 on Powell’s jumper with 6:08 left in the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma City outscored Los Angeles 18-8 the rest of the way.