The Thunder get another home test Sunday night, and this one comes with Oklahoma City trying to keep its early-season momentum rolling against a Clippers team already dealing with a long injury list.
OKC opens the day at 2-0 after handling the Denver Nuggets 96-84 at home on Thursday. Los Angeles enters at 1-1 after a 125-117 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT Sunday, Oct. 25, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The game will air on KSBI-52 in OKC and KQCW-19 in Tulsa, with streaming available on Thunder+.
Justin Martinez is backing the Thunder in a big way, picking OKC to win 119-95. His view is straightforward: the Thunder have already put together two strong wins, the Clippers are still without Brandon Ingram because of right heel surgery, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be due for a better shooting night after his struggles against Denver. Martinez also pointed to Chet Holmgren’s defense and Oklahoma City’s depth as reasons the home team should control the game.
The betting market sees Oklahoma City as a heavy favorite. According to BetMGM odds from Saturday, Oct. 24, the Thunder are listed at minus-14.5, with an over/under of 221.5. On the moneyline, OKC is minus-1100 and Los Angeles is plus-700.
The injury report leans heavily against the Clippers. Bradley Beal is out with right knee injury management, Brandon Ingram is out following right heel surgery, Jordan Miller remains sidelined after left rotator cuff surgery, Yanic Konan Niederhauser is out after right Lisfranc surgery and Max Strus is out with a right plantar fascia tear. For the Thunder, Otega Oweh is out because he is not with the team, while Thomas Sorber is out after right knee surgery and Nikola Topić is out after low back surgery.
Oklahoma City’s projected starters are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Los Angeles is projected to start Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Rui Hachimura and Isaiah Jackson.
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Thunder May Make A Brutal Choice On Two Recent First Rounders
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One possible answer is harsh for two recent first-round picks who have not had much chance to establish themselves because of health and playing time concerns. By Nov. 2, 2025, the Thunder will need to decide whether to move forward with their 2027-28 team options, and that deadline should say plenty about how aggressively the front office plans to manage the cost of keeping this core together. [Read more 🡒]
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Shai Has Extra Reason To Bring It Against The Clippers
The Thunder head into Sunday evenings matchup with the Clippers at Paycom Center carrying a 2-0 record and the feel of a team that has settled in quickly, even with the seasons first back-to-back on the schedule. Oklahoma City has stayed mostly healthy, and the early spotlight again lands on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander against the team he once played for, with Chet Holmgrens strong opening stretch and Josh Mitchells push for more offensive consistency adding to the backdrop.
For Gilgeous-Alexander, the date has a little extra edge because of who is across the floor, and the Thunder will need him to set the tone if they want to keep the early momentum rolling. Holmgrens impact has already given Oklahoma City a different kind of ceiling, while Mitchell is still working to make his scoring more steady, leaving this as one of those early-season tests that can tell a little more about where the rotation stands. [Read more 🡒]