SGA scores 31, Thunder end Clippers’ 9-game win streak
OKLAHOMA CITY – Shai Gilgeous-alexander scored 31 points, Chet Holmgren gave Oklahoma City the lead for good with a dunk he threw off the backboard to himself, and the Thunder beat the Clippers 134-115 on Thursday night, ending Los Angeles’ nine-game winning streak.
With Oklahoma City trailing by a point in the third quarter, Holmgren pump-faked Ivica Zubac at the free-throw line, then caught his own lob and threw down a two-handed jam.
“I don’t know where it came from, really, honestly,” Holmgren said. “That was like an at-the-park move ... I guess it just happened.”
Gilgeous-alexander was impressed.
“He’s 7 feet, so he’d better have that in him,” Gilgeous-alexander said. “I didn’t expect him to do it. I thought he was just going to step through and shoot. But it was tough.”
Holmgren’s play sparked a 13-0 run, and Oklahoma City led by double digits the rest of the way.
Holmgren finished with 23 points and Lu Dort added 21 for the Thunder, who shot 58.6% from the field to win for the fifth time in six games.
Oklahoma City (18-8), which is second place in the Western Conference standings, began its current three-game winning streak with a victory at defending champion Denver. Now, the Thunder have knocked off one of the more star-studded teams in the league.
“Obviously, they’re a super talented group,” Gilgeous-alexander said. “A bunch Hall of Famers over there, and we knew what the task was waking up this morning.”
James Harden scored 23 points and Paul George added 22 for the Clippers, who hadn’t lost since falling at Golden State on Nov. 30.
Los Angeles forward Kawhi Leonard was out with a bruised right hip. The Clippers played at Dallas a night earlier.
“They did a good job of just attacking us,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We couldn’t get back, we couldn’t get set, we couldn’t get matched, and they took advantage of that early.”
Former Thunder star Russell Westbrook got a standing ovation and was cheered loudly while entering the game as a reserve for the Clippers with 6:51 remaining in the first quarter. He finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Harden hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to put the Clippers ahead for the first time, 70-69. Holmgren responded with a 3. LA took its only other lead before Holmgren’s dunk with 8:43 left in the third. Oklahoma City was ahead 109-92 to start the fourth.
Gilgeous-alexander’s steal and two-handed dunk over Daniel Theis put the Thunder ahead 123-104 with just under five minutes remaining.
Thunder guard Josh Giddey fell hard late in the second quarter and left the game with a sprained left ankle. He did not return.
Giddey scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
Harden made just one of his first 10 shots, but he turned it around late in the first half to help the Clippers
trim a 14-point deficit to 64-59 at the break. He made his final three field goals in the half and had 11 points at halftime.
into the conference in future years, as we have always maintained they would, while calling for the vast majority of funds earned in 2023-24 to be distributed equally among the 12 members,” the 10 departing schools said in a joint statement.
The schools said the “fine details” of the agreement would be worked out in the coming days.
The Pac-12 was ripped apart this summer after the league’s leadership failed to land a media rights agreement that would keep it competitive with other power conferences.
Next year, USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington will join the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will join the Big 12; and Stanford and California will join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Oregon State and Washington State were left behind. The schools sued the conference and the 10 departing schools in September, claiming they should be the sole board members of the Pac-12.
Oregon State and Washington State said the other members relinquished their right to vote on conference
Mcbride had 10 catches for 102 yards last week against the 49ers, but coach Jonathan Gannon said he might have been most impressed with a block that helped running back James Conner pop free for a big gain.
“He’s a complete player,” Gannon said. “He really is, but I think in his mind he would tell you this (that in order) to take the next step of being a completely dominant player at that spot I think he wants that to be a little more consistent. He does an excellent job in there with that. Improves every week. He’s hard on himself.”
STACKING SACKS
Bears defensive end Montez Sweat is leading two teams in sacks.
He has six in six games since a trade to Chicago after recording 6 1/2 in eight games for Washington. Sweat had a personal-best 2 1/2 against Cleveland to bump his career-best total to 12 1/2 for the season.
Yannick Ngakoue is second on the Bears with four sacks, and he’s out for
Clippers: Host Boston on Saturday.
Thunder: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
business when they announced their departures and a Superior Court judge in Whitman County, Washington, agreed.
The departing schools appealed the ruling, but the Washington Supreme Court passed on hearing the appeal.
Oregon State and Washington State plan to operate as a two-team conference, allowable for two years by NCAA rule, and then rebuild.
They have a scheduling agreement in place with the Mountain West for football next season and are working on a deal to have an affiliation with the West Coast Conference for basketball and other Olympics sports for two years.
Oregon State and Washington State are in line to receive tens of millions in revenue over the next two years from current agreements the Pac-12 has with the College Football Playoff and Rose Bowl.
There are also potential liabilities. The Pac-12 is named as a defendant in an antitrust lawsuit along with the NCAA and other power conferences that could cost billions in damages.
the rest of the season after breaking an ankle in a win over Detroit in Week 14. Jonathan Allen has 5 1/2 for the Commanders.
RUSHING SHOWDOWN, TAKE 2
Arizona is facing the No. 1 rush defense in the NFL in back-to-back weeks.
The Cardinals are No. 7 in the league in yards rushing with more than 131 per game, and they showed their effectiveness on the ground with 234 yards and two TDS against the 49ers, who came into the game as the league’s No. 1 rush defense.
The 49ers were knocked from the top spot because of that performance, and now the honor goes to the Bears, who are giving up just 79.8 yards on the ground.
TAKEDOWN
The Bears are racking up takeaways.
Over four games since Week 11, Chicago leads the league with both 14 takeaways and 12 interceptions. The Bears are second in the NFL this season with 18 interceptions and tied for sixth with 23 takeaways.