Jan 2, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) defends during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Clippers

Takeaways from the Clippers 116-98 loss to the Thunder

By Mykell Mathieu

Jan 3, 2025 • 3:03 am

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Clippers are blown out again this time 116-98 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. This is the second straight loss for Los Angeles. The Clippers are now 19-15 after the loss and will head back home for a matchup with the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.

Here are some takeaways from the Clippers loss to the Thunder:

No Harden, big problem

The Clippers were playing without star guard James Harden who was out due to a groin injury.

His presence was surely missed tonight against the Thunder.

Harden, the second leading scorer and the team’s leader in assists per game is a player the Clippers need to win.

Tonight the offense just didn’t flow well without him. No player had more than six assists and only one player scored 20+.

The Thunder were already a tough matchup and without Harden they were nearly impossible for the Clippers to beat.

Third quarter takeover for Thunder

The game looked like it would be competitive even without Harden available for the Clippers.

The Clippers held a slight lead 52-48 at the half.

After the break the third-quarter was all Oklahoma City. Their defense was very active causing havoc and their offense started to gel.

The Thunder exploded for 42 points third-quarter and only allowed 20 points in the quarter. Oklahoma City went into the final period with an 18-point lead particularly putting the game out of reach for the short-handed Clippers.

Oklahoma City’s depth overwhelmed the Clippers and their shooting making was too much for Los Angeles to handle in the third quarter.

Coffey shows up for the Clips

There wasn’t too much positive for the Clippers tonight but one player came to play.

Without Harden you would expect for Norman Powell to carry the Clippers but he struggled. He came into the game averaging a career height 24.3 points but only finished with six points on 1-11 shooting including 0-5 from 3.

Amir Coffey played well and was the lone bright spot for Low Angeles.

Coffey led the Clippers with 26 points. He shot 10-14 from the field, knocking down 6-8 3- point shots.

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