LA Clippers Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Preview, How to Watch and Betting Info

The Clippers will host the Thunder on Friday night for Game 1 of their double-header

Author:
Mason Bissada
Publish date:
Jan 22, 2021 11:03 AM EST

The LA Clippers will welcome former Clipper Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his Oklahoma City Thunder to Staples Center for two games in a row—the first of which will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. pacific.

The two-game stint will give the Clippers a chance to rack up a couple easy victories against one of the few teams in the Western Conference that isn’t actively trying to make the playoffs.

Still, the Thunder have been surprisingly frisky this season. At 6-7, they’re still in the mix for the play-in tournament, and Gilgeous-Alexander has turned himself into a dangerous scoring guard, averaging 21 points, six assists and five rebounds for the season.

However, much of the Thunder’s early season success might be smoke and mirrors. Their net rating of -7.2 is third-worst in the league, meaning they’re outperforming their point-differential. While they hold the 20th ranked defense, their offense sits at second-to-last ahead of only the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the only true offensive threat in the Thunder’s starting lineup, and he still has his limitations. If the Clippers can limit him, they should have no problem taking care of the Thunder, particularly with the way that the Clippers have been shooting the ball so far this season.