Gilgeous-Alexander’s career-high 45 Sinks Clippers

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the LA Clippers 134-128 for the second night in a row. Oklahoma City had a 20-point lead in the third quarter and managed to maintain that lead with heroics in the final period.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points on 13 of 21 shooting, 4 of 8 from distance and 15 of 16 at the free throw line. He added nine assists, five steals and two blocks.

Jalen Williams contributed 28 points on 16 shots and made two of his three 3-point attempts. Eight rebounds against Clippers center Ivica Zubac, six assists and two steals rounded out his team.

Norman Powell, who entered the night averaging over 25 points per game, tallied 31 points on 10-for-15 shooting and 5-for-8 from downtown. 1:32 minutes before the end of the game he was fouled on an away serve. The Clippers made 20 of their 37 (54.1%) 3-point attempts.

In their first game without Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City opted for a small starting lineup: Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe.

The Clippers made their 11th start in 11 games with James Harden, Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr. and Zubac.

Williams stripped Zubac on the first possession of the night, leading to a fast-break layup from Joe. He grabbed four defensive rebounds in the first four minutes, helping alleviate the Thunder’s rebounding deficiencies.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored or assisted on Oklahoma City’s first 13 points and hit a quality pull-up three-pointer to give the Thunder an early nine-point lead. He finished the quarter with nine points, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Jones Jr., whose outside shooting helped the Dallas Mavericks knock off the Thunder in the second round last season, hit two 3-pointers in the right corner to get the Clippers back in the game. Oklahoma City led 25:24 after the first quarter, with both teams shooting 17:46 (37.0%). The Thunder made five of their 16 3-point attempts in that period.

Cason Wallace stood his ground on a Kevin Porter Jr. post-up attempt and forced a turnover right in front of the Thunder’s bench. Wallace had two steals in the first half but was held scoreless on five field goal attempts.

After James Harden made a putback layup to make the score 42-42 five minutes before the end of the half, Oklahoma City went on a 14-0 run. Gilgeous-Alexander and Wiggins returned to the game and combined for eight of those points, capped by the former’s second triple of the night. Eight Thunder players made three-pointers in the first half, including two each from Gilgeous-Alexander, Joe, Wiggins and Alex Caruso.

Kris Dunn hit two wide-open 3-pointers just before halftime as the Thunder defensemen struggled after Harden’s brace over the break, but the home team maintained a 66-53 halftime lead. The Thunder’s small ball held LA to 9:21 inside the arc and forced 15 turnovers in the first half – five Clippers recorded multiple turnovers, including four by Zubac.

Williams had a successful elbow jump, a steal and a breakaway dunk all within 30 seconds of the second half. There, he fired back-to-back 3-pointers to offset the hot Clippers’ outside shooting. The Thunder’s double-digit lead expanded to 20 midway through the quarter with a signature Gilgeous Alexander pull-up shot from mid-range.

The remaining six minutes belonged to LA. Powell, who scored two points without a field goal in the first half, scored 18 points in the third quarter. He made three layups and three 3-pointers, including a fading 3-pointer in the right corner over an outstretched Williams as the quarter buzzer expired. Oklahoma City led 99-94 with 12 minutes to play.

The Thunder will face the New Orleans Pelicans this Wednesday, November 13th at 6:30 PM CST. This game will be the third of a six-game home series.

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