Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Hosts Shorthanded Clippers

As Lu Dort trends in the right direction with his ankle injury, there’s a good chance the Oklahoma City Thunder could be back to full strength on Saturday when they host the LA Clippers. Currently on a three-game losing streak, OKC will be looking to get out of a slump.
Regardless, this game will be key for the development of the young roster, as guys like Tre Mann have started to get more comfortable on the floor.
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as 3-point underdogs to the Clippers and the total over/under is 207.5 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
The Clippers could be very shorthanded on Saturday, with Paul George and Nicolas Batum being questionable while Serge Ibaka is out for personal reasons.
This is on top of Kawhi Leonard missing the season with injury as well.
Regardless, the Clippers are deep and will still have the talent on the floor to be competitive with the rebuilding Thunder.
In what’s been an up-and-down season defensively for OKC, their execution on that end of the floor could be what determines the outcome of this game.
RECORDS:
Oklahoma City Thunder (8-19) vs. LA Clippers (16-13)
WHEN:
Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 7:00 PM CT
LOCATION:
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
TV/RADIO:
Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal
FINAL WORD:
This is a game that will benefit the Thunder regardless. If they win, the Clippers’ 2022 first-round pick that OKC owns has a chance to get better. If the Thunder lose, their own 2022 first rounder has a chance to be better.
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Nick has spent the last four seasons covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and has grown quickly in the media since starting. He’s continued to produce Thunder content through writing for Forbes.com and podcasting with The Uncontested Podcast, as well as branching out to cover the NBA as a whole for SLAM Online.
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