Thunder Struggles Without Adams In Lopsided Loss To Clippers

<p>DeAndre Jordan finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Clippers to a dominating 120-98 win over the Thunder inside the Staples Center.&nbsp;</p>

Tuesday, January 17th 2017, 12:58 am

By: Brett Coppenbarger


DeAndre Jordan finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Clippers to a dominating 120-98 win over the Thunder inside the Staples Center.

Related: Adams Out Indefinitely With Concussion

Chris Paul left the game in the second quarter with a sprained left thumb, but Raymond Felton filled in nicely the rest of the way as the Clippers have now won seven consecutive games.

The Clippers led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter and 22 points in the second frame as the Thunder struggled to keep up.

Without Steven Adams (concussion) manning the middle, Oklahoma City’s defense was virtually nonexistent throughout much of the game as the Clippers’ guards routinely drove the lane for uncontested layups.

While the defense was bad, one could argue the OKC’s offense was even worse. The Thunder shot 42 percent from the field and performed like a team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Whether it was Russell Westbrook settling for jumpers instead of forcing the issue, or Victor Oladipo struggling to find a rhythm, the Thunder wasn’t even close to clicking on all cylinders.

After leading by 17 at intermission, Los Angeles opened the second half on a 13-to-6 run to put the game away and send the starters to the bench in the fourth for some extra rest.

Westbrook finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists while Enes Kanter added 12 points and five rebounds.  

Mo Speights led the Clippers with 23 points while Felton, Austin Rivers and J.J. Redick all scored in double figures.

The Thunder will have Thursday off before returning to action on Wednesday night against Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. 

You can follow Brett on Twitter: @BrettCope

The Clippers led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter and 22 points in the second frame as the Thunder struggled to keep up.

Without Steven Adams (concussion) manning the middle, Oklahoma City’s defense was virtually nonexistent throughout much of the game as the Clippers’ guards routinely drove the lane for uncontested layups.

While the defense was bad, one could argue the OKC’s offense was even worse. The Thunder shot 42 percent from the field and performed like a team playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Whether it was Russell Westbrook settling for jumpers instead of forcing the issue, or Victor Oladipo struggling to find a rhythm, the Thunder wasn’t even close to clicking on all cylinders.

Reggie Miller just said it well. Thunder are playing like they're on the second night of a back-to-back. Not much energy right now.

— Thunder Digest (@Thunder_Digest) January 17, 2017

After leading by 17 at intermission, Los Angeles opened the second half on a 13-to-6 run to put the game away and send the starters to the bench in the fourth for some extra rest.

Westbrook finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists while Enes Kanter added 12 points and five rebounds.  

Mo Speights led the Clippers with 23 points while Felton, Austin Rivers and J.J. Redick all scored in double figures.

The Thunder will have Thursday off before returning to action on Wednesday night against Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. 

You can follow Brett on Twitter: @BrettCope

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DeAndre Jordan finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Clippers to a dominating 120-98 win over the Thunder inside the Staples Center. 

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