Clippers Rally In Second Half To Take Down Thunder

The Los Angeles Clippers came to town Wednesday night and took down Oklahoma City 100-98 on its home court, a feat that only five other teams have achieved this season.

Chris Paul netted 31 points, 24 of them in the second half, including the game winning layup with 8.8 seconds left while Kevin Durant's last second attempt fell short for OKC who has now lost four of its last six games.

Despite being held to just 35 percent shooting in the second half, the Thunder held the scoring advantage through three quarters. It wasn't until Randy Foye sank a 3-pointer with 8:34 remaining until the Clippers had its first lead and from there on out it was a fight to the finish.

As seconds ticked off the game clock in the fourth, OKC went nearly four minutes without a bucket which allowed Los Angeles to extend its lead by as many as five points by the 2:22 mark.

Paul netted a tie breaking 3-pointer, drove the lane for another two point bucket and even tipped in his own miss to put the pressure on the Thunder down the stretch.

Durant hit one of his infamous long three-pointers to tie the score once again at 98 with 32 seconds to play, but Paul's layup with 8.8 seconds and OKC's missed final attempt left the Thunder brokenhearted.

Even though four OKC players managed double figures, Russell Westbrook and Durant combined to shoot only 10-for-35 from the field and the Thunder was held to 35 percent shooting in the second half and 40.8 percent for the game.

Oklahoma City led by 11 in the opening half after starting out on 6-for-10 shooting from three point range. Derek Fisher came off the bench and scored eight points to open up OKC's lead but the Clippers responded and used an 11 point run in the final minutes to pull within two points.

OKC's ball movement and shot choice along with four steals and five blocks boosted them to end the first half with a 55-48 advantage at the break.

Los Angeles won for the ninth time in its last 11 games and holds on to fourth place in the Western Conference.

Oklahoman Blake Griffin managed a double-double with16 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers who managed 46.9 percent shooting from the field as a team.

The loss for Oklahoma City puts them at 42-16 on the year and 24-6 on the home court and drops OKC two games behind Chicago for the best record in the NBA.

Durant paced the Thunder with 22 points while Westbrook finished with 20. Off the bench, James Harden scored 17 while Serge Ibaka netted 12 and three blocks.

Oklahoma City looks to get back on track Friday when they host Sacramento at 7 p.m. in OKC.