The up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder and the veteran-laden Los Angeles Clippers are scheduled to face off anew this Wednesday. Will the Thunder strike again? Or, will the Clippers hit back and even things up between them and OKC?
Catch this game live on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 11 AM, Manila time
Away: Oklahoma City Thunder (27-12/11-7 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Josh Giddey
- Luguentz Dort
- Jalen Williams
- Chet Holmgren
The Thunder are out to prove that their 134-115 win over the Clippers at home last December was not a fluke. They are getting a chance to double down on their mastery of Los Angeles this Wednesday when they play their second game in two nights in La La Land. In the December game versus the Clippers, the Thunder leaned on the duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren, with the former unloading 31 points and the latter chipping in 23 more.
That said, that was still a collective effort for the Thunder, who had 35 assists on 51 field goals made. What makes the Thunder so dangerous as well is that a lot of them are efficient scores. As a team, Oklahoma City is top five in the league in effective field goal percentage, field goal percentage, 2-point FG%, and 3-point percentage. On top of those, they have great ball security, as they’re also inside the top five in turnovers per game and turnover rate.
The Thunder, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers,112-105, at Crypto.com Arena Tuesday, are 3-2 ATS in their last five road games against the Clippers.
Home: Los Angeles Clippers (25-14/16-4 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- James Harden
- Terance Mann
- Paul George
- Kawhi Leonard
- Ivica Zubac (DTD)
The Clippers are looking to make their way back to the win column after getting tripped up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Twin Cities last Monday, 109-105. That was not a great day for Los Angeles on both ends of the floor, as they shot just 43.4 percent from the field and allowed the Timberwolves to connect on 56.7 percent of their attempts.
Nevertheless, there’s no reason for the Clippers to sound the alarm. They are still one of the best teams in the league. On the season, they are 10th in the league with 117.4 points per game and 11th with 111.9 points allowed per contest. And while they already lost a game this season to the Thunder, the Clippers did not have Kawhi Leonard in that first meeting with OKC. Leonard is healthy and ready to go this time around to help the Clippers, who have covered the spread in three of their last four games as the home team.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Clippers (-5) cover the spread.
Over/Under: The total (236.0) hits the Under.
