Game Preview: Thunder v Clippers

The Oklahoma City Thunder (4-7) will host the Los Angeles Clippers (5-5) at
Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday. Oklahoma City (4-7) has not looked like the
powerhouse many expected it to thus far. The Thunder have struggled to find
offense, despite the presence of elite scoring options in Russell Westbrook,
Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George. Westbrook, the reigning MVP, has seen his
averages fall to just 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and is shooting
only 35 percent from the field on the season. OKC will hope to see its star get
his groove back as it looks to rebound from a slow start. The Thunder most
recently suffered a 102-94 loss to the Nuggets in Denver on Thursday. In the
loss, Westbrook and George combined for just 26 points on 12-of-36 shooting. As
a whole, the team could not find its shot, going just 42 percent from the field.
OKC also failed to convert at the free-throw line, as it went just 7-of-14 at
the stripe in the game. Los Angeles (5-5) has similarly slipped recently. The
Clippers started out the season as one of the league’s hottest teams, but a
three-game losing streak has brought them back to just .500. In their most
recent showing, the Clippers lost 120-107 to the Spurs in San Antonio. The game
was characterized by a significant second-half collapse for LA. Despite entering
halftime with a comfortable six-point lead, the Clippers allowed San Antonio to
run away with the game in the third quarter. It was a relatively low-scoring
game for the Clippers’ primary star, Blake Griffin, as the big man went just
4-of-13 from the field en route to 15 points. However, defense proved to be the
team’s biggest weakness in the loss. The Clippers allowed the Spurs to shoot
over 53 percent from the field and from beyond the three-point arc. LA will look
to rebound with a more hard-nosed defensive effort in Oklahoma City.