The Oklahoma City Thunder (43-20) will be at home when they play the Los Angeles Clippers (41-21). Action begins at 9:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 9 and can be seen on ESP, PRI, FxK and C+D.
The Thunder were victorious over the Bucks 104-96 on Sunday. With 32 points and 12 rebounds, Kevin Durant recorded his 23rd double-double of the season. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a 109-90 win over the Mavericks on Monday. DeAndre Jordan played well, registering 23 points and 20 rebounds to claim his 38th double-double of the season.
Over the last five games, Durant has been playing at a high level for the Thunder. During that stretch, he has averaged 31.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 2.2 blocks, and 3.6 three-pointers. The Clippers also have their own player combo that has been on a tear in that same time frame. Jordan has averaged 15.6 points, 14.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.0 blocks, while Chris Paul has put up 25.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. Oklahoma City’s elite offense is ranked third in the league in that metric at 52.2%, while Los Angeles is fourth-best in the NBA at making opponents miss (48.0%). The Clippers should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank third at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.8%). Conversely, the Thunder force the fourth-fewest turnovers in the league (opponents’ turnover percentage of 12.7%).
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Clippers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 103-98 win. Jordan put up 20 points and 18 rebounds.
The Thunder come into this game 43-20 Straight Up (SU) and 24-36-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 43-20 SU and 24-36-3 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Thunder are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throws made, making an impressive 19.0 per game. Oklahoma City has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up a league-best 48.0 rebounds per game.
Across the court, Los Angeles has a SU record of 41-21 and an ATS record of 31-29-2. In Western Conference games, Los Angeles has gone 41-21 SU and 31-29-2 ATS. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Clippers. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.79. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Clippers on the defensive end. They allowed 109.4 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 100.2.
Los Angeles won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Thunder still lead the head-to-head record, 6-4 SU, over the last 10 matchups. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Thunder have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC
Notes
On average, Los Angeles puts up 104.9 points per game (ranked sixth). Oklahoma City ranks 18th in points allowed per game with 103.2.
Los Angeles scores an average of 104.5 points per away game (ranked sixth). Oklahoma City ranks 13th in points allowed per home game with 100.0.
Oklahoma City has a formidable 24-2 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Los Angeles is 7-10 when it puts up under 100.
Oklahoma City is 19-18 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Clippers have an outstanding 34-11 record when they hit the century mark.
The Thunder have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA (110.2). The Clippers are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.0 (ranked seventh).
On average, Oklahoma City has 99.8 possessions per game and scores 1.102 points on each possession. Los Angeles has both fewer possessions (98.3) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.067).
Oklahoma City is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 52.2% (ranked third in the NBA). Los Angeles is an abysmal 2-11 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Oklahoma City makes an average of 22.7 assists per game (ranked ninth), while Los Angeles makes 22.6 assists per game (ranked 11th).
With 6.2 blocks per game, the Oklahoma City Thunder rank third in the league. The Los Angeles Clippers are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking 10th with 5.5 blocks per game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are the top offensive rebounding team in the league. The Los Angeles Clippers rank 12th in defensive rebounding.
The Los Angeles Clippers rank 10th in steals, with an average of 8.3 per game. When the Oklahoma City Thunder allow at least 8 steals, they have a solid 26-13 record.
