The last time the Los Angeles Clippers (42-40) played the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18) this season, Los Angeles was blown out, falling to an abysmal 15 games under .500.
In the 19 games that followed, the Clippers were the best team in basketball, turning around and reviving what seemed to be a lost season. Their 16-3 stretch over the next month and a half moved them back into the playoff picture.
After Wednesday night’s game against OKC on April 8, the Clippers are hoping another double-digit loss to the defending champions will be the precursor for a similar run of excellence in the coming weeks.
If you wanted to know what the third and final game between the Clippers and Thunder looked like on Wednesday, all you have to do is look at what happened in the first two matchups.
Oklahoma City swept the season series, winning by 19 in November, 21 in December and 18 in a 128-110 victory that clinched the league’s top seed.
The Thunder jumped out to an 11-point first-quarter lead and never looked back, maintaining a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
Los Angeles held reigning MVP guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a season-low 20 points. However, he still impacted the game with 11 assists.
The Clippers couldn’t contain center Chet Holmgren, who had one of his best performances of his career, finishing with a 30-point, 14-rebound double-double while shooting 10-for-13 from the field. Guard Isaiah Joe added 21 points in 23 minutes off the bench.
Despite the blowout, Los Angeles shot 44% from three-point range, going 14-for-32 from beyond the arc.
Forward Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 20 points, and guard Kobe Sanders came off the bench with 17 on eight shots. Center Brooke Lopez pitched in 16 but was dominated on the glass and continually exploited on defense.
For seeding positioning in the play-in tournament, the loss was consequential in more ways than one. With their victory over the Dallas Mavericks and the Clippers’ loss, the Phoenix Suns clinched the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
Entering the contest versus OKC one game ahead of the Trail Blazers, the loss gave Portland a chance to steal the No. 8 seed, which would force the Clippers to win two games in the play-in tournament.
Because Los Angeles could not beat Oklahoma City to clinch the eighth seed, it meant Friday’s showdown with the Blazers was for control of that second play-in spot.
It was the Blazers who won, securing the eighth seed with a victory over the Sacramento Kings in Sunday’s finale on April 12.
Even though the Clippers handled the Golden State Warriors to finish off their regular season, Portland took care of business against the lowly Kings.
With the Trail Blazers’ win, Los Angeles owns the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference and will host Golden State in the first round of the play-in tournament on Wednesday, April 15.
If the Clippers win, they will face the loser of the 7-8 seeded play-in tournament matchup between the Suns and Blazers, but will be eliminated with a loss.