Game analysis: LA Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder
How the Thunder Beat the Clippers
Oklahoma City's interior scoring gave it the edge in a game that stayed tight into the fourth. The Thunder trailed by three at halftime before moving ahead by one entering the fourth quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, while Ajay Mitchell added 18 off the bench and Isaiah Hartenstein collected 12 rebounds. With only a three-point advantage at 4:50, Oklahoma City outscored the Clippers 15–11 the rest of the way while overcoming seven fewer assists and a 15-point disadvantage in points off turnovers.
The biggest reason
Paint Dominance
Points in the paintOKC 64vsLAC 36
Also mattered
+8Rebounds
9 fewerTurnovers
+4Late-game finish
Game flow
When the lead changed
LACOKC
LAC's biggest lead was 7 points · OKC's was 9 points · 9 lead changes
Quarter-by-quarter momentum
Quarter winners and scoring margin
Q1
LAC20
OKC23
OKC won by 3
Q2Biggest margin
LAC26
OKC20
LAC won by 6
Q3
LAC30
OKC34
OKC won by 4
Q4
LAC25
OKC31
OKC won by 6
Game turning points
Moments identified from the scoring timeline
Final lead changeQ4 · 5:08
Oklahoma City Thunder went ahead and did not trail again.
LAC 90–OKC 92
Late-game pressureQ4 · 1:14
The game was within five points late, with Oklahoma City Thunder ahead.
LAC 99–OKC 104
Momentum swings
Key runs
2 runs · 7+ unanswered points
Q1 · 6:36–4:35Largest run
Oklahoma City Thunder9–0run
LAC 12 – OKC 12→LAC 12 – OKC 21
Q1 · 3:34–1:23
LA Clippers8–0run
LAC 12 – OKC 21→LAC 20 – OKC 21
Players who shaped the game
Player impact
From the box score
LA Clippers
LAC
Leading scorerDarius Garland
16PTS4REB11AST0STL0BLK
Impact contributorKris Dunn
15PTS4REB6AST5STL2BLK
Impact contributorIsaiah Jackson
10PTS6REB4AST2STL1BLK
Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC
Leading scorerShai Gilgeous-Alexander
34PTS6REB5AST2STL1BLK
Impact contributorAjay Mitchell
18PTS6REB4AST3STL0BLK
Impact contributorAlex Caruso
12PTS7REB6AST2STL1BLK
Team performance
Biggest advantages and setbacks
What the winner did best—and what it overcame
Advantages
Points in the paintWinner edge
Oklahoma City Thunder had a 28 edge in points in the paint.
LAC 36OKC 64
TurnoversWinner edge
Oklahoma City Thunder committed 9 fewer turnovers than LA Clippers.
LAC 26OKC 17
StealsWinner edge
Oklahoma City Thunder had a 5 edge in steals.
LAC 10OKC 15
Setbacks
Points off turnoversOpponent edge
Oklahoma City Thunder trailed in points off turnovers by 15.
LAC 38OKC 23
AssistsOpponent edge
Oklahoma City Thunder trailed in assists by 7.
LAC 30OKC 23
Three-point shootingOpponent edge
Oklahoma City Thunder trailed in three-point shooting by 6 percentage points.
LAC 39%OKC 33%
The numbers behind the win
Evidence
4 signals
Paint scoring
Oklahoma City's interior production provided its largest team-level scoring advantage.
LAC36
OKC64
Rebounding
The Thunder controlled the overall glass and collected seven more offensive rebounds.
LAC38
OKC46
Ball security
Oklahoma City committed nine fewer turnovers despite the Clippers scoring more points off turnovers.
LAC26
OKC17
Late-game finish
The Thunder protected a three-point advantage over the final 4:50 and extended it to the seven-point final margin.
LAC11
OKC15
This game’s Winning DNA
How Oklahoma City Thunder got it done.
The winning formula behind this game.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Paint Dominance
35%
Superstar Performance
30%
Rebounding
20%
Turnovers
15%
Editorial weights for this game — not fan-vote percentages or official NBA statistics.
Team Comparison
LA Clippers101 PTSVSPaycom CenterOklahoma City Thunder108 PTS
37-81
FG
42-94
15-38
3PT
8-24
12-15
FT
16-17
38
REB
46
30
AST
23
10
STL
15
4
BLK
5
26
TO
17
The Debate
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