Game Recap: Thunder 117, Clippers 112

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Kane Dane
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In its ultimate sport of the season, the Thunder shot out of the gates with sturdy vitality that might endure via all 4 quarters. By the tip of the night time, three Thunder gamers completed with 20 or extra factors because the staff ended its season on a excessive word with a win over the Clippers.

Sprinting via the end line has been a mantra for the Thunder all season lengthy. Whether or not its ending a sport sturdy or a follow with excessive vitality, all of it boils all the way down to treasuring and valuing each second you get on the ground. Heading into the final sport of the season, sprinting via the end line meant squeezing each alternative out of the final 48 minutes of the season and leaving no stone unturned.

From the very outset, the Thunder maintained that vitality. It translated on the offensive finish because the squad burst out to a 10-point lead halfway via the primary body.

The Thunder made eight of its first 12 photographs because the Clippers shot simply 3-of-13 within the first six minutes of motion. Rookie Aleksej Pokuševski opened up with an ideal 3-for-3 capturing efficiency from the sphere to an early seven factors whereas additionally balancing main ball dealing with duties. By the tip of the quarter, the Thunder held a 35-26 lead and Pokuševski remained good going 5-for-5 from the sphere, together with 3-for-3 from the 3-point line on the way in which to 13 factors.

“I used to be actually impressed together with his capability to get us organized for somebody who doesn’t play the place,” stated Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. “I assumed he did an incredible job inside the circumstances. The stuff that he didn’t do nice is all stuff that he can enhance on and that we’ve been attempting to enhance on all 12 months and now he’s bought to step into a very, actually vital summer season for himself.”

Using each final second on the ground to proceed to discover its roster and its gamers, two-way participant Josh Corridor began the sport for the primary time in his profession. The rookie had solely performed in 20 video games for the Thunder this season as he battled damage and in addition frolicked down within the g-league bubble. Corridor completed the sport with a career-high 25 factors profiting from all 42 minutes he had on the ground.

“It means so much,” stated Corridor. “This group has executed job of maintaining me in it. Numerous hours of rehab, simply maintaining my spirits up and letting me know that higher days are coming. That is undoubtedly a great way to cap off the season.”

“I give Josh a whole lot of credit score,” stated Daigneault. “He’s had a tricky 12 months. It hasn’t been simple going via what he’s gone via and he got here out tonight and performed rather well and gave himself a whole lot of confidence going into the summer season.”

By the tip of the night time, Corridor and Pokuševski could be two of the three Thunder gamers to complete with 20 or extra factors as Moses Brown additionally added a career-high 24 of his personal. The Thunder’s regular stream of offense stored it within the sport because the Clippers fought their means again to make it a one possession sport and a battle that might go all the way down to the ultimate minute.

With slightly below a minute left within the sport, the Thunder and the Clippers started exchanging buckets to both tie or take the lead. Patrick Patterson slammed house a dunk with 50 seconds left within the sport to tie the rating at 112 – it could be LA’s ultimate bucket of the night time. On the subsequent possession, OKC’s main scorer in Aleksej Pokuševski introduced the ball throughout the timeline and acquired a ball display screen from Moses Brown.

The 7-foot rookie had already knocked down 5 three pointers within the sport and registered 26 factors so when he noticed his defender drop again to guard the paint, Poku stepped behind the road and sank his sixth 3-point try of the night time to place the Thunder up by three with 45 seconds remaining. The Clippers missed their try on the subsequent possession which left the Thunder in pole place for the remainder of the sport.

“Coach believes in me, my teammates consider in me,” Pokuševski stated in his Bally Sports activities Oklahoma postgame interview. “So I took that shot and it went in and we gained the sport.”

Pokuševski might have knocked down the dagger 3-pointer, but it surely was Moses Brown who put the icing on the cake. Within the Thunder’s final possession of the sport, Pokuševski drove left and pulled up for a brief financial institution shot, however this time the ball ricocheted off the rim.

Fortunately, his fellow 7-footer in Brown– who had already grabbed seven offensive rebounds on the night time– was prepared and lively underneath the rim to scoop up the free change. Reasonably than lay the ball in off the glass, Brown timed his soar to snag the ball in midair and jam it house for the last word punctuation mark on the sport and the season.


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The Thunder capitalized on its dimension benefit within the paint with 7-footer Moses Brown anchoring the Thunder protection and Pokuševski working as main ball handler. By the tip of the night time, the Thunder racked up an OKC document 78 factors within the paint in comparison with simply 44 for the Clippers.

OKC’s defensive effort proved simply as spectacular as its offensive efficiency because the group swatted away a season-high 12 blocks. Brown led the way in which with seven blocks of his personal marking a season excessive and essentially the most by a Thunder participant this season.

“That undoubtedly was an emphasis,” stated Brown. “Making ourselves a presence down low and being very bodily. We’ve some massive guys and we simply needed to make our presence recognized within the paint on offense and protection.”

Aleksej Pokuševski

“That what we discuss after each sport. Working via the end line is not only finish of the season–it’s on daily basis. Finish of a follow, finish of a sport, no matter it’s. We did that right now. We gained the sport, I’m completely happy about that and the fellows performed nice.”
–Aleksej Pokuševski

“Tonight was instance of type of the developmental trajectory of a whole lot of our gamers. These are issues that guys most likely weren’t going to be doing within the early elements of the season however you set one foot in entrance of the opposite all year long, you climate the ups and downs, keep constant and also you get higher. I assumed tonight was an instance of proof that our guys have gotten higher.”


–Coach Daigneault

After 72 video games in an especially demanding NBA season, the Thunder now begins an offseason of participant improvement. All the experiences and classes for every participant now translate right into a blueprint for development and enchancment to comply with over the summer season.

“I’m actually optimistic going into the summer season. I believe a whole lot of our gamers have proven a ton of progress,” stated Daigneault. “I believe all people on the staff has gotten higher and so it’ll be good to take a deep breath and mirror on the 12 months, however then get again to work as a result of when these guys stroll again in within the fall, I believe we’re going to be fairly enthusiastic about the place they’re after having had these experiences after which having a summer season improvement.”

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