BAGGAGE CLAIM
OKC falls to 0-3 on road trip, doomed by another flat first quarter
Kawhi Leonard sized up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the clock ticking down. Leonard swished a jumper from the right elbow just before the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter.
Gilgeous-Alexander slowly walked back to the Thunder's bench.
Leonard and the Clippers once again over matched Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder at Staples Center. The Clippers registered a 108100 victory Sunday afternoon after beating the Thunder by 14 points just two days before.
It was the third-straight loss for the Thunder (6-9) and the
seventh-straight win for the Clippers (13-4).
Leonard was lethal from every spot on the floor, but the midrange is where he was most dangerous. Leonard led the Clippers with 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting. He added nine rebounds and eight assists.
Leonard capped off t he Clippers' win with a driving dunk in the final minute.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was defended by Leonard and Paul George, finished with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds after a slow start. The former Thunder player had 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting in
the second half.
Here are four other takeaways from the game:
Deja vu
The first quarter played out almost exactly as it did in the first matchup between these teams.
The Clippers l ed 36- 1 8 after one quarter Friday. On Sunday? 36-19 Clippers.
The Thunder shot 0-of-12 from 3-point range in the first quarter Friday and 0-of-9 Sunday.
But unlike Friday, the Thunder reeled in the Clippers' big lead to make it a game.
“We literally had the same game plan,” guard George Hill said. “We just told the guys we had to play with more attitude, more effort and more togetherness. I think every guy stepped up, brought their best out and tried to just compete on every possession of the game.
“We're not promised to win them all, but we are promised to compete at a high level and do the best we can.”
Hill fuels late flurry
Hill knocked down three consecutive 3- pointers late in the fourth quarter. A 17- point Clippers lead was reduced to eight points by the time Tyronn Lue called timeout with 2:10 left.
“It felt good,” Hill said of the rally .“Just take advantage of every opportunity I get, continue to trust myself and try to do the best I can for this team.”
Hill scored a seasonhigh 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Hill has made multiple3-pointer sin three consecutive games.
“He just plays the right way every game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Makes t he extra pass, almost to where there's times where I have to tell him to be a little bit more aggressive. Because when he's in that mode and a little bit more aggressive it makes everything easier for the rest of us.”
Former Thunders shine
It wasn' t George who hurt t he Thunder this time. It was Serge Ibaka (again) and Reggie Jackson.
Jackson has fallen out of the Clippers' rotation, but he was called on to start the second half with point guard Patrick Beverley (right knee) ruled out.
After not playing Friday night, Jackson scored 14 points in the second half Sunday. Ten of those points came in the third quarter, when the f or mer Thunder guard shot 4- of -5 from the field.
Ib aka followed his 17-point and 11-rebound game Friday with 17 points and six rebounds Sunday. The Clippers center shot a smooth 7-of-8 in both games.
Inside-out attack
The Thunder outscored the Clippers 66-42 in the paint. Attacking the rim was the only good option on a day when the Thunder shot just 7-of35 (20%) from behind the arc.
Neither team shot the ball well from 3- point range. The Clippers, who led the league in 3-point accuracy, were a cold 14-of-46 (30%).
Gilgeous-Alexander was 7-of-12 in the paint. Hill and Hamidou Diallo were both 6-of-8 in the paint.
Diallo scored 14 points off the bench, but he shot just 2-of-7 from the free throw line.
“He' s still learning his identity as a player,” Thunder coach Mark Daign ea ult said .“The thing that can take him and us to another level is when he really smells the rim like that. He had a really good burst in these two games.”
Isaiah Roby also contributed inside. Roby, who started his fifth straight game at center in place of Al Horford, scored 10 points with 10 rebounds for the first double-double of his career.
“It' s been amazing ,” Roby said of his playing time .“There' s not many guys who get this opportunity.”
Thunder at Trail Blazers
When: 9 p.m. Monday
Where: Moda Center in Portland
TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma (Cox 37/HD 722, DirecTV 675, U-verse 751/1751)
Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM
Three things to know
• Both teams are playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The Thunder played at the Clippers on Sunday afternoon and the Trail Blazers hosted the Knicks on Sunday night. It was Portland's first game since Jan. 18 due to COVID19 postponements. • Portland is without two of its three best players. Guard CJ McCollum (left foot fracture) and center Jusuf Nurkic (right wrist fracture) are both expected to miss several weeks. McCollum was averaging a career-high 26.7 points per game before his injury.
• The Thunder and Trail Blazers have played 48 games in the OKC era. The series is tied 24-24. The Thunder is 10-14 all time at Portland.