Thunder Rally In Second Half To Defeat Clippers, Keep L.A. Winless In New Arena

Playing the second game of a back-to-back on the West Coast, the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a slow start to beat the Los Angeles Clippers in their new arena.

The Thunder managed only 19 points in the first quarter. However, they found their stride in the second half, eventually clamping down defensively to hold the Clippers to just 35 points after halftime.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault expressed pride in his team’s resilience.

“I was really pleased and impressed with the fact that that game could have gotten away from us," he said. "That was like a 20-point deficit waiting to happen. And we kind of steadied that thing.”

Jalen Williams noted the team’s defensive focus was key in sparking their offense.

“Not getting it offensively, it’s easy to drift,” he said. “But we do a good job of holding each other accountable and still trying to play the right way. The one thing we can control is defense, and we kind of buckled down, we got some stops, and jumpstarted our offense.”

The Thunder, now with six wins, will aim for a seventh against the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.