The Thunder needed a response Friday night after dropping back-to-back games, and for most of the evening in Los Angeles, they were right there. In the end, though, Oklahoma City came up one shot short. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed the go-ahead attempt, and the Clippers escaped with a 113-112 win, handing the Thunder their third straight loss.
Gilgeous-Alexander did everything he could to keep OKC afloat. Against a Clippers team he always seems to enjoy facing, the two-time MVP carried the offense from start to finish and finished with 40 points on a highly efficient night. After struggling to get much going in the two Portland games, he looked much more like himself against LA.
The Thunder also got a meaningful moment from Nikola Topic, who made his season debut. Just getting on the floor counts as a win for the third-year guard after everything he has dealt with.
Topic’s path has been anything but smooth: a major knee injury before he was drafted, then testicular cancer, then back surgery this offseason that kept him out of Summer League, preseason and the start of the regular season. After several stints with the OKC Blue, he finally got his chance with the big club.
The box score wasn’t flashy, but he still chipped in four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Brook Lopez was the other major storyline, and not in a way the Thunder wanted. Oklahoma City had no real answer for him at the arc, where the veteran big kept punishing them all night.
Lopez, one of the best stretch bigs ever, finished with 26 points and repeatedly dragged the Clippers back into the game. Isaiah Hartenstein gave OKC a steady presence inside and Aday Mara brought shot-blocking length, but Lopez still found ways to hurt them.
The Thunder also dug themselves a hole before halftime. They went into the break down double digits and had made only two 3-pointers as a team.
That changed in the third quarter, when Jared McCain caught fire and nearly flipped the game on its head. He drilled five triples in the period, including one at the buzzer, and poured in 17 points in the quarter alone.
Alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, he helped drag Oklahoma City back into striking distance.
McCain’s shooting was crucial because the Thunder needed every bit of perimeter offense they could get. He ended the night with seven of the team’s 11 made 3-pointers.
The loss leaves Oklahoma City at 1-1 in NBA Cup play, with games still ahead against Minnesota and New Orleans. The path to the quarterfinals is still there, but after this one, it looks a lot narrower.
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Oklahoma City has several other players listed out or questionable, which only adds to the uncertainty around how the Thunder will line up. For the Clippers, the wrinkle is less about one name on the injury report than the ripple effect it creates, because Mitchells presence or absence changes the balance of a matchup that already comes with plenty of moving parts. [Read more 🡒]
Baba Miller Is Giving Clippers Fans A Ty Lue Debate
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What makes the case more compelling is that Miller has stood out in more than one area, showing value as a scorer, rebounder and defender while making the most of limited run. For a team that is always balancing development, depth and the demands of a playoff chase, his impact has created a real question for Ty Lue: whether those brief cameos are enough, or whether Miller has earned a more stable role in the rotation. [Read more 🡒]