+3
Can the Oklahoma City Thunder contain Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers and continue to build on their four game winning streak? Tip-off in Staples Center is at 9:30pm Central.
The good news is that the Oklahoma City Thunder still have the best overall record in the NBA at 16-4. The bad news is that they were just served notice of another dynamic young team aiming for Western Conference supremacy as well.
Last night’s 112-100 win by the Los Angeles Clippers over the Thunder at the Staples Center featured strong performances from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, but the rest of the team shot poorly. Blake Griffin’s amazing dunks proved to be too much, fed by Chris Paul’s 14 assists, who also scored 26 points of his own.
The Clippers had a total team effort with Caron Butler scoring 22 as well as Griffin and DeAndre Jordan throwing down 11 points and 11 rebounds to go with 3 blocks.
Durant had a game high 36 points and 13 rebounds, and Westbrook added a strong 31 points as well. But James Harden was 2 of 10 shooting and couldn’t provide that third scorer needed.
Up next for the Thunder is a road trip to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
Oklahoma City is now in game two of their three-game road trip as they touch down in Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Monday Night in Staples Center.
One key point of focus for the Thunder in recent games is the containment of the point guard. It was Monta Ellis on Friday night and on Monday night it will be their job to clamp down on Chris Paul. One would think the key to CP3 would be to stop him from dishing, but the Clips have found more success when he scores:
When Paul scores. The Clippers are now 1-4 on the season when Paul plays and scores fewer than 16 points. They are 7-0 when he scores more than 16. They are also 3-2 in games he has missed. Simpleformula, right? Paul scores, Clippers win.
Chris Paul is averaging 17.4 points per game this season, lets see if Russell Westbrook can clamp down on Paul and contain him from scoring.
Game date/time: Monday, January 30, 9:30 pm CT
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
TV: NBA TV, Fox Sports Oklahoma
Radio: Thunder Radio Network
Odds: Thunder, -2.5; Over/Under, 199
Online Streaming: NBA League Pass Broadband
For more on this game Thunder fans should head on over to Welcome To Loud City and Clippers fans should check out Clips Nation. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.
Just over three weeks ago, Eric Maynor reportedly tore his ACL in his right knee, rendering him ineffective for the rest of the 2011-12 NBA season. Now the Oklahoma City point guard is set to get a second opinion before officially calling this season finished.
The 24-year-old has been a valuable contributor off the bench for the Thunder, helping to spell Russell Westbrook for 15 minutes each game. The Thunder have since turned to Reggie Jackson who has knee concerns of his own. As for Maynor, the Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry has the scoop.
Maynor accompanied the team on a road trip for the first time since sustaining the injury. He attended the Thunder's shoot-around session Monday morning before cheering on his teammates against Boston from the bench. Maynor appeared to be in good spirits before the game, and he is expected to rejoin the team on the tail end of this three-game trip, either in Washington, D.C. or New Jersey. The second opinion, meanwhile, is said to be standard operating procedure. After the consultation, Maynor is expected to decide where he wants to have the surgery done and by which doctor.
For more coverage on the Thunder, check out Welcome to Loud City.
VIDEO: Blake Griffin's 'Dunk Of The Year' Over Kendrick Perkins In Clippers Win Over Thunder
For those who missed the late night 112-100 win by the L.A. Clippers over the Oklahoma City Thunder, you also missed one of the best plays of the entire year by the new human highlight reel -- move over Dominique -- Blake Griffin. While it seems that Griffin has at least one moment every game that makes a SportsCenter top plays of the day, this particular dunk over Thunder center Kendrick Perkins drew the exclamation and immediate description of "dunk of the year." That's not a stretch. Check it out below:
Jan 31 8:13a by Matt Conner