After falling to the Denver Nuggets in Wednesday night’s opener, the LA Clippers will face another challenging team in the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After an undefeated preseason, the LA Clippers came out swinging against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, few of their shots would land, and the Clippers would fall 107-98.
Tonight, the Clippers won’t be looking for a repeat performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, they’ll need just about everything to go right.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles connected on just eight of their 28 shots attempted from beyond the three-point line. Starting point guard Patrick Beverley missed all five of his attempts, and shooting guard Avery Bradley missed his two attempts as well.
The only bright spot from three-point land was Danilo Gallinari, who finished the night with 16 points on 57 percent shooting from deep.
They will need all hands on deck as they face yet another playoff contending team. Not only will Oklahoma City be looking to also earn their first win of the year, but Russell Westbrook may be making his season debut.
If he does in fact play, both Beverley and Bradley will have to play their best defense. Beverley gave the team the “Clamp City” moniker and tonight will be the night to live up to it.
The Clippers will also have a chance to see how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stacks up against an elite point guard. The rookie has looked great in both preseason and the Denver loss, but has yet to face a top-tier talent.
Even if he doesn’t get much time against Westbrook, he will still likely be paired up against Dennis Schroder who the Thunder acquired this summer as part of moving Carmelo Anthony.
The Thunder will still be without Andre Roberson, who is recovering from surgery. This gives Avery Bradley a chance to actually do some scoring. So far in his Clipper career, Bradley has not shined on the offensive end. Tonight would be the perfect time to start and he could be the jolt that LA needs to get ahead early.
Follow along with us tonight on Twitter as we live tweet the matchup!