The Oklahoma City Thunder (24-2, 1st in Western Conference) hosts the Los Angeles Clippers (6-20, 14th in West) Thursday at Paycom Center (8 ET, NBA TV).
Here are three key storylines to know for tonight’s game.
- How will OKC respond?: Following just their second loss of the season, and the first in over a month, in Saturday’s 111-109 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in the Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals, the Thunder should be fired up to get back on the hardwood. After falling to the Portland Trail Blazers back on Nov. 5, OKC rattled off nine consecutive wins by at least 10 points, with an average margin of victory of 22.3 points. The offense has been sensational, ranking fifth in the NBA with an offensive rating of 119.8, but the defense has been nothing short of elite. Oklahoma City owns the best defensive rating in the league at 103.4, nearly eight full points better than the second-place Detroit Pistons (111.2), giving the reigning NBA champs a league-best 16.4 net rating.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extending scoring streak: The 2024-25 NBA MVP extended his streak of games with 20-plus points to 98 straight during OKC’s loss to the Spurs on Dec. 13. The Clippers have strong individual defenders that coach Tyronn Lue will throw at SGA in waves, but the Toronto, Ontario native has proven time and time again that his rhythm and scoring prowess cannot be hindered. In his first outing versus LAC on Nov. 4, the former first-round pick in 2018 by the Clippers dropped 30 points (9-14 FG, 4-5 3PM), 12 assists, four rebounds and three blocks across 29 minutes during a 126-107 victory. SGA will be locked in as he aims to make it 99 consecutive contests with at least 20 points.
- Clippers try to snap 4-game skid: LA has lost four straight games and is 1-9 in its last 10. After finishing third in defensive rating (109.4) last season, the Clippers currently rank 26th in 2025-26 with a DEFRTG of 119.1 through 26 contests. One area to watch for Thursday will be the turnover battle. LAC is one of five teams in the league with a turnover ratio of 16.0% (27th), and they cough it up 15.7 times per night (20th). For comparison’s sake, OKC is tied for first in TOV% (12.4) and ranks second with just 12.8 total turnovers a game. In their first matchup with the Thunder, the Clippers turned it over 19 times en route to 34 points for OKC. If LAC can clean things up and limit their miscues on offense, they’ll have a much better shot at snapping their losing streak at four.
