Who’s going to stop the rampaging Los Angeles Clippers? They are a win away this Friday from their win streak hitting double-digits, but that is going to be easier said than done with the dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the veteran-laden Clippers. 

Catch this game live on Friday, December 22, 2023 at 9 AM, Manila time

Away: Los Angeles Clippers (17-10/6-7 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

• James Harden
• Terance Mann
• Paul George (Questionable)
• Kawhi Leonard
• Ivica Zubac

The Clippers are still on a roll. They seem unstoppable at the moment, winning all of their last nine games, including a 120-11 victory over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on  Thursday. The Clippers crushed Dallas despite missing Paul George, who was ruled out with an illness. There is a good potential that George returns to action this Friday, so Los Angeles potentially could be even better in the meeting with the Thunder. 

Kawhi Leonard may still be feeling it when he steps on the court versus OKC after demolishing the Mavs for 30 points on 12/22 shooting. Norman Powell, meanwhile showed that the Clippers are more than just about the superstars after going off for 21 points off the bench in the Mavs outing. Over the course of their current undefeated run, the Clippers have averaged 125.3 points on 52.4 FG% while shooting 41.4 3FG%. 

Home: Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8/9-4 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Josh Giddey
• Luguentz Dort
• Jalen Williams
• Chet Holmgren

The Thunder don’t have the momentum that the Clippers have going into Friday, but Oklahoma City isn’t too shabby either with a two-game win streak and four victories in its last five outings. The Thunder also recently just took down the defending champions Denver Nuggets in Mile High City no less last Sunday (118-117) before destroying the Memphis Grizzles (116-97) at home Tuesday. Having two full days of rest prior to the Clippers contest gives the young Thunder fresher legs than Los Angeles, which is set to play its fourth game since the weekend. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be in for a test against Clippers’ perimeter defenders, though, he’s repeatedly passed the tests this season. So far, he is averaging 30.7 points on an unreal 53.8 FG%. The great thing about the Thunder is that they also know how to take care of business defensively. They are third in the NBA with a defensive effective field goal percentage of 51.6 and are the No. 1 team in forcing turnovers, with opponents giving the ball away 16.8 times per game and 14.1 percent of the time.

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Thunder (-4.5) cover the spread.

Over/Under: The total (234.0) hit the Under.