Oklahoma City will face the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time since their blockbuster trade in July.
The Thunder may have won five of their last seven matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers, but this Clippers team isn’t the one of years past.
Stating the obvious: Oklahoma City is facing their former star Paul George for the first time since George asked to be dealt to the Clippers in July. George is coming off surgery on both his shoulders in the off-season and missed the first 11 games of the regular season.
But he scored 37 in the Clippers’ win over Atlanta Saturday, and quite frankly, the Thunder know what they’re up against in Paul George.
George and Kawhi Leonard have yet to take the court together. Leonard has missed the last two games due to a knee contusion, but ESPN referenced a quote Doc Rivers gave the (Los Angeles) Times saying that Leonard will “most likely” play against the Thunder.
Oklahoma City comes into Monday’s matchup off of one of their, if not the, best games of the year, an overtime win over the 76ers in which Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Terrance Ferguson all scored in double-digits.
Oklahoma City’s free-throw shooting, which has been spotty during the best of times and outright atrocious at others, was fantastic. Gallinari and Paul were perfect from the line and as a team, the Thunder made over 85% of their attempts.
Defensively, OKC has been solid. Per the Thunder game notes, “currently holds opponents to the fourth-lowest three-point shooting percentage (31.2 percent), the second-fewest fast break points (10.7), the eighth-fewest second-chance points (12.0) and the ninth-fewest points per game (107.1) among all NBA teams.”
But solid may not be enough against the Clippers. Defensively lapses could be more of an issue than usual for the Thunder, especially if Leonard finds his way back onto the floor on Monday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s former coach spoke highly of the former Clippers guard ahead of the team’s matchup against Oklahoma City Monday.
Doc Rivers has nothing but good things to say about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
On Monday, the former Clippers guard returns to Los Angeles to face the organization that traded him away.
Make no mistake, the blockbuster deal that sent Paul George to L.A. for Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a boatload of draft picks, so far seems to be working out for both parties. The Clippers landed both George and Kawhi Leonard (even if the two have yet to share the court) and George has looked dominate after returning from off-season shoulder surgery.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander is the team’s leading scorer and heir-apparent at point guard.
It took a lot to part with George, and Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told media this week he knew what he was giving up in SGA.
“He’s the greatest kid,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Gilgeous-Alexander this week. “I don’t know if I’ve had a more favorite young player, like, he’s the best. Just still innocent enough, you know, hopefully that stays.”
According to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, those sentiments were echoed by Gilgeous-Alexander’s former teammates as well.
“Everybody loved Shai,” former Clipper and current Hawks guard Tyrone Wallace said. “It was one of those things, I think a lot of fans were kind of upset (that he was traded). And all that type of thing, but I get it’s a business, and that’s how it happens.”
Danilo Gallinari, who has also been a solid addition to the Thunder in the trade for Paul George, played with SGA during his rooking season and, per Lee, has seen tremendous growth in year two.
“It’s been amazing to me being able to see him every day since last year getting better game by game,” Gallinari said, “and all the strides that he made this year is pretty amazing.”
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will take on George and the Clippers Monday night. Tip-off is at 9:30 C.T.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a quality start to his second NBA season.
In a season that’s still young, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as one of the NBA’s top young players.
Gilgeous-Alexander averages 20.1 points a game and leads the Thunder in scoring. He’s second on the team in rebounds behind Steven Adams, and he’s also one of the Thunder’s best 3-point shooters; he’s shooting 40.4% from the 3-point line.
But through all of his success, Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t been arrogant. According to a story from The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto, Gilgeous-Alexander attributes his humbleness to his mother, Charmaine Gilgeous.
Gilgeous was an Olympic sprinter, and she competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
Here’s what Gilgeous-Alexander said about what his mom taught him:
“Growing up, with anything we did, she never let us get cocky,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his mom. “She always told us and showed us to have confidence in ourselves, but never take it overboard. Keep it as confidence.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has taken a leap so far this season. A rookie with the Los Angeles Clippers last season, Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to OKC in the Paul George deal.
Last season, he didn’t take nearly as many shots. Both his field goal attempts and 3-point attempts have gone up. His usage percentage is currently at 25.3%, and last season he finished with an 18.3% usage percentage.
Tied for 25th in the league for points per game, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of three second-year players ranked in the top 25 of the league for scoring, according to NBA.com. Luka Doncic ranks fourth (28.5), and Trae Young ranks seventh (27.3).
With Gilgeous-Alexander being the Thunder’s focal point, he’s primed to continue having a quality sophomore season.
The Thunder will play the Philadelphia 76ers at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday night.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony will sign a non-guaranteed deal with the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trailblazers have decided to roll the dice on former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony, according to ESPN senior writer Adrian Wojnarowski.
Anthony spent 2017-18 in Oklahoma City. The Thunder brought Anthony in from the Knicks, but the veteran, who has been accustomed to being the headliner throughout his NBA career, never fully meshed with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. During his stint in OKC, Anthony averaged a career-low 16.2 points.
He last played in the league in the 2018-19 NBA season for the Houston Rockets and has struggled to find a home for the final chapter of his now- 17-year career over the summer.
At the same time, cascading injuries and lofty postseason aspirations combined to push a struggling Portland Trail Blazers franchise to warm to the idea of bringing on Melo, who has been perceived in some circles as resistant to accepting a lesser role as he ages out of a starting one.
Now, standing at 4-8 midway through November, the team has decided that injuries to Jusuf Nurkic and particularly Zach Collins, have stretched the frontcourt rotation too thin, especially at the power forward position.
Anthony, per Wojnarowski, will be brought on to help out in that regard on a non-guaranteed deal and will join the team on their coming road trip. No word on other contract details, though presumably, it will be at the veteran’s minimum given the team’s cap situation.
James Harden had 47 points and scored 17 in the game’s final six minutes, leading to a Rockets win over Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers in Houston.
James Harden took over Wednesday’s fourth quarter in Houston, scoring 17 points in the final six minutes as the Rockets overcame a four-point deficit with under six minutes left to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers, 102-93. Houston closed the game on a 22-9 run.
For the game, Harden scored 47 points on 12-of-26 shooting, led by a 7-of-13 (53.8%) showing on three-pointers. The 30-year-old guard also had seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals, with the last coming against Clippers superstar and reigning NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kawhi Leonard to seal the win in the final minute.
Clippers guard Pat Beverley, long known as one of the NBA’s toughest isolation defenders, couldn’t stay on the floor long enough to try and slow Harden. Beverley fouled out in just 27 minutes, and longtime rival Russell Westbrook got in a postgame dig at Beverley’s expense after Harden’s 47-point outburst versus a former teammate.
Harden on Pat Beverley's defense: "It's always great to compete against him. We all know what Pat does. He's great and he'll try to get in your head. If you let him get into your head and get into your body, he can be a pest."
Leonard had 26 points and 12 rebounds, but thanks in large part to strong defense from Houston forward P.J. Tucker, it took him 24 shots to get those 26 points. That made for a much less efficient night in comparison to Harden, who also had more clutch plays late.
Wednesday’s victory was the fifth straight for the Rockets (8-3), and it drops Leonard’s Clippers (7-4) a game behind Houston in the current Western Conference standings. Harden is averaging an astonishing 41.6 points per game during the five-game winning streak, raising his 2019-20 season average to an NBA-leading 38.2 per game.
Harden's scoring run to start the season has moved him past Michael Jordan and Rick Barry and into the rarefied '62-63 Wilt territory. His 420 points (in 401 minutes) is the most through the first 11 games of a season since Chamberlain had 592 in 1962-63. https://t.co/UbydRuuAcE
The league’s reigning scoring champion led the way, but Harden certainly had plenty of help (box score) in the statement win over another West contender. Other highlights included 17 points from Westbrook, a third consecutive 20-rebound game from center Clint Capela, and strong perimeter defense by Tucker and Austin Rivers.
Speaking of select company, Clint Capela is the first Rockets player with three-consecutive 20-rebound games since Moses Malone in 1982.
The Clippers’ total of 93 points was the fewest allowed by Houston this season. Opponents have not exceeded 100 in three games of the current five-game winning streak, and the Rockets have the NBA’s top-rated defense in that stretch.
The Houston Rockets are no longer a bottom 10 defense. After tonight, they're 18th in defensive rating.
Over the last 5 games, the Rockets have the best defense in the NBA (98.5 points allowed per 100 possessions).
In a potentially ominous development for the defense, Capela left Wednesday’s game in the fourth quarter after his head was hit in a collision with Clippers big man JaMychal Green. Team officials said postgame that they did not know whether Capela had suffered a concussion. If he did, that could make for a challenging back-to-back on Friday at home versus Indiana and Saturday at Minnesota.
Clint Capela will not be speaking with the media tonight. It is to still be determined if he will be diagnosed with a concussion. Coach D’Antoni also did not have more information to share other then he is being examined.
Capela’s condition and status for those games will likely be updated at Thursday afternoon’s team practice in Houston.
Tyson Chandler finished Wednesday’s game in Capela’s absence, posting an impressive nine rebounds in 16 minutes and punctuating the victory in the final minute with a reverse jam on a lob — naturally, from Harden after stealing the ball from Leonard.
James Harden strips Kawhi Leonard, leads a reverse alley oop to Tyson Chandler. pic.twitter.com/dVh6pGspqa
At 37 years old and in his 19th NBA season, however, Chandler is not a likely candidate for an expanded role if Capela misses time moving forward. The Rockets would likely need to turn to third-year center Isaiah Hartenstein in such a scenario.
Wednesday’s game finished with playoff intensity, and the two rivals won’t have to wait long for the rematch — which comes next Friday, Nov. 22, in Los Angeles. That game could feature a new star duo of Leonard and fellow offseason addition Paul George, who is expected to make his Clippers debut this Thursday in New Orleans.
The Rockets also weren’t close to full strength Wednesday, with wing players Eric Gordon and Danuel House Jr. each out with injuries.
The New Orleans Pelicans will reportedly be the team that Paul George faces in his Los Angeles Clippers debut.
The New Orleans Pelicans may have the dubious honor of being the NBA’s first team to face the star-studded Los Angeles Clippers at full strength.
While it won’t be the sort of news that will help the struggling Pelicans snap out of the funk that has them among the league’s least winningest-teams, news that six-time All-Star Paul George may make his season debut against New Orleans tomorrow night ought to make the matchup more interesting.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo reported that George may make his season debut Wednesday night, when the two teams will meet for the first time this season. George has been on the mend for some time now, recovering from dual shoulder surgeries conducted in the offseason to correct nagging issues that plagued the California native in the 2019 postseason.
Of course, with New Orleans dealing with a number of injuries of their own, it’s certainly possible that the team’s other superstar forward, Kawhi Leonard, takes the night off himself rather than risk injury facing a team unlikely to put up much of a fight given their own state.
With Lonzo Ball working his way back from a groin injury, Brandon Ingram recovering from a strained knee and Jaxson Hayes day-to-day with a bruised rib cage he sustained against the Houston Rockets (and, of course, rookie phenom Zion Williamson sidelined until December), much of the early-season buzz around the Pels has subsided, as have expectations for a playoff berth.
If recent history is any clue, Leonard resting is not an improbable outcome, as the Clippers are set to face the Rockets on Tuesday. While also riddled with injuries to their wing rotation, simply having James Harden and Russell Westbrook available makes that matchup a bigger risk to the Clippers.
With Leonard already sitting out back-to-backs this season as part of his load management approach, it’s possible the front office chooses to rest their championship player, giving New Orleans a chance to capitalize on the potential issues which could arise from trying to integrate George into an already-established Clippers rotation.
Though, given the sole instance of Leonard resting came against the arguably stronger franchise (Leonard played against his former San Antonio Spurs the following evening after resting against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 30), it’s also very possible the team will face one of the biggest challenges of the season tomorrow night.
Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday’s showdown versus the Los Angeles Clippers with a bruised lower back,
Houston Rockets small forward Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday’s home game versus the Los Angeles Clippers due to a bruised back, head coach Mike D’Antoni said at Tuesday’s practice.
The 26-year-old suffered the injury during Monday’s victory at New Orleans when a Pelicans defender attempted to draw a charge. House was in the air on a drive to the basket and fell several feet, with his lower back taking the brunt of the impact.
House stayed in the game to shoot the ensuing free throws and played for much of the first half, but his back stiffened during the halftime break — when the team announced he would not return.
[lawrence-related id=17678,17668]
The native Houstonian is scoring 11.8 points in 29.2 minutes per game this season, including a blistering 45.5% shooting clip on three-pointers. The defensive rating of 104.0 is among the best in Houston’s current rotation, and his 6-foot-6 frame offers valuable length, athleticism, and defensive versatility.
However, the Rockets (7-3) may catch a slight break with House’s probable absence in Wednesday’s showdown. That’s because the Clippers (7-3) are not expected to play superstar forward Paul George, with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reporting that George will make his 2019-20 season debut on Thursday in New Orleans, instead.
As of midday Tuesday, it was unclear if fellow star forward Kawhi Leonard would play, since it’s the first of a back-to-back sequence of games for the Clippers — who to this point have sat Leonard for one game of their back-to-backs this season.
BetMGM special new customer offer in New Jersey!
BET $1, GET $1 (in free bets) for every point your team scores in the Nov. 13 Rockets vs. Clippers game. Regardless of the winner, you win $1 in free bets for every point the team you bet scores. Bet Now! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
However, given the controversy (including a fine from the NBA) from last week’s decision to sit Leonard in an ESPN game and considering that Wednesday’s game in Houston is also on ESPN, Clippers coach Doc Rivers could play Leonard in this one as a gesture of good faith.
As for the Rockets, the team is likely to start 6-foot-3 guard Ben McLemore in House’s place. That’s because Eric Gordon, who as recently as last week started at forward over House, is now expected to miss six weeks after undergoing a medical procedure on his knee.
Coach D’Antoni confirmed this at practice. Eric Gordon will have a procedure done tomorrow to clean out his knee – is expected to miss 6 weeks. He’s experienced discomfort in the knee since last season. #Rocketshttps://t.co/SMye4ov5qM
With Eric Gordon surgery and Danuel House Jr. likely out tomorrow against the Clippers, Rockets likely to start Ben McLemore. That means Austin Rivers and Chris Clemons to get the time off the bench in the backcourt.
With Gordon and House both presumably out, that’s likely to mean more minutes than usual in D’Antoni’s rotation for McLemore, as well as veteran forward Thabo Sefolosha and perhaps rookie guard Chris Clemons off the Houston bench.
[lawrence-related id=17438,16928]
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.
Gallinari has shown himself to be a capable stretch four, which is what the Trail Blazers need to complement their explosive back court.
[jwplayer yqduqGwD-z6KDnl0B]
Surprise, surprise. Danilo Gallinari’s name has come up in trade rumors again.
Every since Gallo came to Oklahoma City as part of the blockbuster deal for Paul George in July, his tenure with the Thunder has had an expected expiration date.
It’s not really surprising, to be honest. The better he plays during the early part of the season, the more his name is going to get tossed around as a potential player on the move.
And Gallinari has been really good as of late.
He’s second on the team in scoring at 18.6 points per game. His three-point play has been a huge boost to a Thunder team that hasn’t shot three’s well in recent years. Gallinari is hitting 43.7% of his shots from the perimeter, which is sixth-best in the NBA.
Which makes it reasonable to believe that the Portland Trailblazers would be interested in acquiring him.
Per The Ringer’s Paolo Uggetti, Portland may be on the lookout for a big man they can bring in after suffering roster turnovers and inconvenient injuries. Gallo could be the perfect fit.
“Danilo Gallinari is another trade candidate who could fit in well with this team. He would be the perfect stretch 4 to play with Portland’s deadly backcourt. And while it’s unclear what Oklahoma City’s ultimate goals are for this season, Gallinari and his expiring contract could be a tasty asset for Sam Presti to try to swap for another first-round pick.”
Inquisitor’s JB Baruelo likewise believes that Portland could be a good landing spot for Gallinari, should the Thunder still be committed to an overhaul.
“Gallinari would be an incredible addition to the Trail Blazers, giving them an All-Star-caliber power forward who could serve as their third-best scoring option behind Lillard and McCollum. Having a floor-spacing big man like Gallinari would further improve the Trail Blazers’ offensive efficiency, which currently ranks 10th in the league.”
The question is, would a first-round pick being enough to entice Presti to move a guy that has been so integral so far this season. It might have to be.
As Baruelo points out, ‘trading him for future draft assets before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline would be their best option, rather than letting him walk away in the 2020 NBA free agency as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return.”
The Thunder are ranked seventh in the league for 3-point percentage to begin this season.
[jwplayer yqduqGwD-z6KDnl0B]
It may have taken starting a rebuild for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be a good 3-point shooting team.
And yet with the Thunder at 4-6 to start the season, they’re one of the best shooting teams in the NBA.
The Thunder made a season-high 17 3-pointers in their 121-119 loss Sunday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Mike Muscala and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each had a team-high four 3-pointers, and Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder each had three.
Through 10 games this season, the Thunder rank seventh in the league for 3-point percentage, shooting at a 37.5% clip. As a team, the Thunder make 11.5 3-pointers a game, and five players account for a good portion of those makes.
Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander, Terrance Ferguson, Danilo Gallinari and Darius Bazley combine for 8.7 of the Thunder’s 3-pointers per game. Each player has shot at least 38% from 3-point range.
Despite being two games under .500, the Thunder’s quality shooting has helped them remain competitive.
They’ve only shot below 36% from the 3-point line in two games. Both of those were losses, and in both games, they lost by 12 or fewer points. In games where they have shot 36% or better from deep, they’re 4-4. In each of the four losses, the Thunder have lost by single digits.
Having new players such as Paul, Gallinari and Gilgeous-Alexander has helped the Thunder improve their shooting.
Paul and Gallinari have both shot at least 37% from 3-point range in their careers. A rookie last season, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 36.7% with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ferguson has also improved his shooting steadily over his career. He’s shooting 38.1% from three on 2.1 attempts. Bazley, a rookie, has shot 40.0% on 2.5 attempts. He ranks seventh among rookies for 3-point percentage, according to NBA.com.
In the past three seasons, the Thunder have been in the bottom half of the league for 3-point percentage. The last time they were in the top half was in the 2013-14 season, when they ranked 14th.
Their top two shooters last season were Jerami Grant and Paul George, but both players were traded this offseason to the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. Ferguson was the team’s third-best 3-point shooter last season, hitting at a 36.6% clip.
The Thunder are rebuilding, but they have a budding young player in Gilgeous-Alexander. Paul and Gallinari are proven talents, so their leadership helps. Though the Thunder might not make the playoffs, their shooting ability gives them a chance to compete against most teams.
OKC will play the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
