During the Thursday night NBA slate, Los Angeles Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-105 in their first game since Paul George’s injury. Leonard set the tone with an efficient 32 points. It was a rare convincing win for the Clippers.
“This was a really good win for us,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “We needed it.”
Two nights before, George suffered a right knee sprain in the closing minutes of a 101-100 loss to the Thunder. A re-evaluation will take place in two to three weeks, likely keeping him out of the rest of the regular season.
“We got to handle our business on the floor and keep tallying wins for PG,” said Bones Hyland, who led the bench with 16 points in his first game action since March 3.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Clippers led 92-80 after a 27-12 run, including 10 straight.In the third and fourth quarters, they hit seven consecutive 3-pointers, including three each from Nicolas Batum and Hyland. The Clippers led 101-85 after Leonard’s other three-pointer.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
Russell Westbrook capped off a three-point barrage with a 3-pointer to help the Clippers push their advantage to 114-89. In the fourth period, they scored 35 points to 25 for the Thunder. Batum and Hyland each made four 3-pointers, while Westbrook chipped in 24 points and seven assists.
“We played with a lot of pace,” Westbrook said. “Played fast, especially in the second half.”
Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points. The other two top scorers were Josh Giddey with 18 points and Jalen Williams with 16.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Oklahoma City Thunder Updates
“He was still efficient,” Leonard said of Gilgeous-Alexander. “All we could do is try to make it tougher on him.”
Next up for the Clippers is a home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Thunder will face off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
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