National Basketball Association
L.A. Clippers 103, Oklahoma City 98
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials:
#43 Dan Crawford, #16 David Guthrie, #59 Gary Zielinski
Attendance:
19304
By The Sports Xchange
LOS ANGELES -- The day started with the stunning death of one of the c Thunder's owners. It ended with an epic collapse in the final five minutes of the game that cost the Thunder a win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
DeAndre Jordan contributed 20 points, 18 rebounds and some crucial buckets down the stretch, rallying the Clippers to a 103-98 victory over Oklahoma City at Staples Center.
Chris Paul scored 21 points and handed out 13 assists as the Clippers (40-20) wiped out a 22-point deficit to prevail. J.J. Redick added 16 points, while reserve Jamal Crawford chipped in 12 points.
"Our intensity (was the key)," said Paul, who had 13 points in the second half. "The defense picked up in the second half. I went out to start the fourth quarter, and Jamal Crawford looked at me and said, 'We are going to get us back in this thing by the time you guys get back in.' I don't know if he is a fortune teller, but he did it."
Kevin Durant scored a game-high 30 points and collected 11 rebounds, but the All-Star committed six turnovers for the Thunder (42-19). Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook finished with 24 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Westbrook had five miscues, combing with Durant for 11 of the 17 Oklahoma City turnovers to only six for the Clippers.
Thunder forward Serge Ibaka had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
With the win, the Clippers closed within 1 1/2 games of the Thunder for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference.
"It's tough, man," said Durant, who shot 12-for-27 and missed nine of 12 attempts from 3-point range. "I hate losing like that. (If we) want to be a great team, we're fooling ourselves. If we want to win a bunch of games during the regular season, it's cool, but we're fooling ourselves the way we're playing. It's no discipline. We've got to do better."
Thunder coaches, players and front-office personnel met Wednesday morning upon learning of the death of part-owner Aubrey McClendon, who perished in a fiery car crash in Oklahoma City.
McClendon died less than 24 hours after being charged with conspiring to accept illegal bids for the purchase of oil and natural gas leases in northwest Oklahoma.
His demise wasn't on the Thunder's minds as the game slipped away, but the emotional toll was even more devastating than the loss to Los Angeles.
After trailing by double digits for much of the contest, the Clippers overcame the Thunder with a 26-5 run. A dunk by Enes Kanter boosted the Thunder to a 93-77 lead with 7:26 remaining, but things began to unravel from that point on. The Clippers also outscored Oklahoma City 35-13 in the fourth quarter.
"We were letting them move the ball around too much," said Crawford, whose late bucket was the difference. "It was almost like it was scripted."
A bucket by Jordan pulled the Clippers within 97-96 with 1:49 left. He put the home team on top with a three-point play off a Paul miss with Thunder guard Andre Roberson hanging all over him at 1:19.
After Ibaka missed a baseline jumper, Crawford banked in a shot in the lane for a 101-97 edge with 38.6 seconds remaining.
Durant made one of two foul shots with 33 seconds left to slice the margin to three. However, after Crawford misfired on a jumper, Westbrook's 3-point attempt was off the mark. Two free throws by Redick sealed the deal.
"I've said this before, the best thing for this team is adversity," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "It needs adversity. It doesn't need to be easy, in my opinion. Here's an adverse situation, so what do we do going forward?"
Oklahoma City led 85-68 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Thunder dominated the first half, rolling to a 58-38 advantage at the break behind Durant's 16 points. The Thunder grabbed a club-record 39 first-half rebounds to 21 for the Clippers. For the game, they owned a 63-45 advantage.
Neither team shot well. The Thunder made 40.8 percent of their shots to 39.8 for the Clippers.
Clippers backup point guard Austin Rivers returned after missing 10 games with a broken left hand. He had six points in 18:30.
Los Angeles played without forward Luc Mbah a Moute, who missed the contest after sustaining a left eyelid laceration Monday in a win over the Brooklyn Nets.
NOTES: Clippers F Paul Pierce passed Elvin Hayes for No. 16 on the NBA's all-time games list with 1,304 contests played. ... Los Angeles signed reserve F/C Alex Stepheson to a second 10-day contract. He did not play Wednesday. ... The Thunder visit the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. The Clippers host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Top Game Performances
Oklahoma City |
|
L.A. Clippers |
Kevin Durant 30 |
Scoring |
Chris Paul 21 |
Russell Westbrook 12 |
Assists |
Chris Paul 13 |
Kevin Durant 11 |
Rebounds |
DeAndre Jordan 18 |
Russell Westbrook 6 |
Free Throws Made |
DeAndre Jordan 4 |
Randy Foye 1 |
Steals |
Wesley Johnson 5 |
Kevin Durant 5 |
Blocks |
Wesley Johnson 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Oklahoma City
|
98 |
39.8 |
10-35 |
10-11 |
22 |
63 |
8 |
3 |
17 |
L.A. Clippers
|
103 |
40.8 |
9-32 |
14-21 |
26 |
45 |
3 |
11 |
6 |
Upcoming Games
-
L.A. Clippers will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Clippers have a W/L % of .650 after a win and .700 after a loss.
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game on the road against Golden State. The Thunder have a W/L % of .698 after a win and .667 after a loss.