Inglewood, CA.— Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and dished out 12 assists as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder remained unbeaten, cruising past the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 126–107 on Tuesday night to extend their season-opening winning streak to eight games — a new franchise record.
Isaiah Joe poured in 22 points, while Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins each added 12 for Oklahoma City, which overcame an early deficit before dominating the second half. Gilgeous-Alexander, facing his former team, shot an efficient 9-for-14 from the field and hit 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
James Harden led Los Angeles with 25 points, and John Collins added 17. Derrick Jones Jr. finished with 16 as the Clippers dropped back-to-back home games after opening the season 3–0 at Crypto.com Arena.
The Clippers were again without stars Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Bradley Beal (knee), resting both on the second night of a back-to-back.
After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Thunder surged ahead late in the third quarter. Wiggins buried a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma City its first lead since the opening period at 81–78 with 3:34 left in the third. The Thunder closed the quarter on an 8–2 burst to take a 94–86 advantage.
Oklahoma City then put the game out of reach with an 11–0 run to open the fourth quarter, stretching the lead to 105–86. The surge capped a 17–0 blitz that began with back-to-back 3-pointers from Joe and Gilgeous-Alexander to end the third period.
The Thunder’s depth and shooting continued to shine — they finished with 17 made 3-pointers and six players scoring in double figures.
Up Next:
Thunder: Visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Clippers: Travel to Phoenix to face the Suns on Thursday night.
