Chu on the Clippers: Showdown a letdown against top NBA rival Thunder
By Jean Chu
Jan 22, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers small forward Caron Butler (5) drives against Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Tonight’s game between Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder could’ve been a sneak preview of the Western Conference Finals. On Monday, the Clippers looked forward to extending their 4 game winning streak against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena, ultimately coming up short in a 106-99 loss. The Thunder had a winning streak of their own broken against the Denver Nuggest Sunday night, setting the stage for a winner-takes-best-NBA record game between us and them. The last time the Clippers and the Thunder faced off was on November 21, 2012 in Oklahoma City in a thrilling game went into overtime, Chris Paul barely missing a shot to win in regulation. The game went into overtime and, unfortunately, the Clippers ultimately lost 117-111. In that contest, Kevin Durant shot a mind-boggling 25 free throws, proving he merely needs to pass wind to draw a ref’s whistle.
Well, with Chris Paul scratched just before game time, the Clippers would certainly have their work cut out for them, and ultimately they couldn’t hang with the twin motors of Durant and Westbrook, who scored over 50 points between them to lead the Thunder to victory 109-97.
The irony of CP3 not playing on his own bobble-head night was not lost on Clipper Nation.
Eric Bledsoe would get his fourth NBA start, having his personal 3-0 winning streak snapped as he couldn’t get his offense going, ending up just 5-15 for the game with 11 points. After jumping out to an early 14-4 lead, the first quarter ended up tied at 22, ending the half with us down 4. Kevin Durant had only 4 points at that juncture, and it was only a matter of time before the NBA’s three-time scoring leader got things going. And, just like that, Durant led a scoring barrage with 11 points in the 3rd quarter, extending the lead to as much as 17, before the Clippers cut it to 8 with 2 minutes left in the game. The Thunder shot a ridiculous 17-25 from 3-point range for the game and every bounce seemed to go their way (Durant actually banked one in from 30 feet away).
Blake Griffin had 16 points going into third quarter and continued his monster game (31 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) in gamely trying to carry the team on his shoulders, but the rest of the Clipper players had a tough night; they struggled to score, turned the ball over way too many times, and could not defend the Thunder from shooting 3’s. I was trying to stay positive that the Clippers could weather the Thunder storm and come back at the end, but without Chris Paul to guide them, it was a longshot. Jamal Crawford is definitely not suited to run the point guard, even in a backup role, so Vinnie Del Negro had Grant Hill doing ball handling duties at one point to try to free Crawford to get his shooting groove going. Kevin Durant and his team, though, were just unstoppable. They shot 11 for 17 three pointers (65%) in the second half and 15-17 in the third quarter overall. Those numbers are hard to believe.
The OKC Thunder are really as good as advertised and without our top player it would’ve taken a near-perfect game to win; however, I am proud of our squad for playing hard without him and they did not give up until the final horn sounded..
The Clippers (32-11) are now 1.5 games behind the Thunder (33-9) for the best record in the NBA and now drop to 3rd place in the Western Conference, a half game behind San Antonio. Up next is a game in Phoenix against the Suns at 7:30pm on Thursday and I will be watching the game at the Clippers fan viewing party at ESPN Zone at LA Live. Come by and say hello to myself and FullyClips Editor Ian Denchasy as we snap this two game losing streak!