Clippers Visit OKC For First Time This Season

<p>It was a sloppy game a week&nbsp;ago&nbsp;in the Staples Center when the&nbsp;Thunder&nbsp;and Clippers combined for 38 turnovers, 39 percent shooting, and 28 percent from three.</p>

Friday, November 11th 2016, 1:37 am

By: News 9


It was a sloppy game a week ago in the Staples Center when the Thunder and Clippers combined for 38 turnovers, 39 percent shooting, and 28 percent from three.

Russell Westbrook was the only Thunder player to score in double digits, also tallying five assists and 10 turnovers. The Clippers three leading scorers went for 15, 14, and 14.

It was pretty gross.

Since that game, the Thunder are 2-2. The Clippers are 4-0, averaging 110 points and allowing only 85 over that span.

Westbrook is, unsurprisingly, the team's leading scorer this season at 31 points per game. Victor Oladipo is second on that list with 16.

Everybody is right when they say the Thunder need more, better shooters. They're wrong when they say they need more production from three. Golden State, with Klay Thompson's crazy ability to hit eight straight in a quarter, Steph Curry's unbelievable, off-balance makes from 35 feet, and He Who Must Not Be Named, only shoots 10th best in the league from deep. But their field goal percentage is tops at 50 percent.

The Thunder have looked both great and terrible at times this season. But here's the crazy thing. For as good as the Clippers might look now and as bad as the Thunder have played at certain times this season, LAC is only a point better in both field goal and three point shooting.

KD left because the Thunder don't pass the ball and he's right about that. They are currently dead last in the league in passes per game. But more passes per game doesn't automatically translate into more points per game. Of the 10 teams who average the most passes in a game, half are in the top nine in shooting percentage and half are in the bottom nine.

That means it's probably not the system or offensive schemes the Thunder run. The Thunder just need to make more of the shots they take. The simplest answer is usually the best answer.

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