Oklahoma City doesn't stop. Well helped by the absence of James Harden on the Clippers side, the Thunder continued their very good period with a second success in two days to start 2025 as they had ended 2024. However, it was not won in the first period against the men of Tyronn Lue who bravely defended their chances.
The start of the match is balanced, the fault of the Thunder's clumsiness. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holds his team for a while, but the rotations are not in favor of the locals. OKC barely scored in the last five minutes of the first quarter. Unlike a Kevin Porter Jr sharp both for himself and for his teammates for his return. Los Angeles leads 28-20 after 12 minutes, and does not stop there. Porter Jr is unleashed and leads an improbable but effective duo with Mo Bamba to take the tangent.
The Clippers went 20-4 and led 40-24 in a Paycom Center a little cautious about the events. The Williams, Kenrich and Jalen, revive the locals a little with an 8-0, but Porter Jr returns to the charge and even allows himself to climb on Isaiah Hartenstein! Perhaps a little blunted in the back-to-back, the Thunder defense struggles to respond, when the attack shows some limits to sustain the shock over time without Gilgeous-Alexander on the field. The return of December's MVP to the West is good for the Thunder, while the Clippers' starters are struggling offensively. It's not the best time of the season, but the LA are happy to be content with it by lying 52-48 at rest.
42-20 in the third quarter
This little surprise won't last. Because the small burst of the second quarter gave way to a real rebellion from Oklahoma City upon returning from the locker room. Much more aggressive, the Thunder regains its defensive virtues with starters in tune. They signed six interceptions in six minutes and completely stifled the Clippers, like a totally out of control Norman Powell (6 points at 1/11, 6 lost balls). With a series of 25-7, the third quarter turned into a demonstration between two teams who simply did not seem to be dancing to the same tempo. That of OKC is far too disheveled for Los Angeles, which concedes 42 points over the period, including 25 from the only major duo “SGA” – Jalen Williams.
It's already too much for the visitors, who quickly give up in the last act. Jalen Williams and Hartenstein take care of the day-to-day affairs with the bench to bring the gap to +28 seven minutes from the end and kill all suspense, and ensure a 28th success in 33 games (116-98).
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– New historic series for Oklahoma City. Even the Thunder built around Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden had never experienced this. For the first time in the history of the franchise, OKC has a thirteenth victory in a row. And not in any way, with an average gap of 16.3 points. Mark Daigneault's squad has clearly perfectly digested its failure in the NBA Cup final, which does not count for the regular season.
– A new suitcase for the Clippers. Very eye-catching without always being rewarded at the start of the season, Nicolas Batum's teammates have suffered more since the end of the year when things do not go in his favor. +32 against Boston, -28 against the Wolves, -22 against the Nuggets-16 against the Mavericks, -36 against the Spurs and -18 last night, the Clippers have a bit of a tendency to give up quickly lately.
