The Oklahoma City Thunder got a reminder on Friday just how hard it is to take on a team with two superstars and a rotation full of depth.
The Los Angeles Clippers led OKC by as many as 27 points in the first half before closing out the game and handing the Thunder a 120-106 defeat.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points, on 11-for-20 shooting. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined for 60 points.
Oklahoma City mounted a comeback in the third, cutting the lead to 10 with 3:27 remaining in the quarter, but the Clippers built it back up and OKC couldn’t get closer.
There’s logic in being pleased that the Thunder hung in, outscored L.A. over the final three quarters and forced the Clippers’ starters to stay in during the fourth quarter and make sure they sealed it. But the fact of the matter is, OKC trailed by double-digits for 40 minutes. It wasn’t good.
Then the comeback attempt failed in a disappointing way, with the Thunder picking up five fouls in three minutes to start the fourth.
They’ve now lost four of their last five games by double-digit points and have started to look more like the rebuilding team that was expected than the .500 team they were a week ago.
Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s loss.