Two of the top teams in the Western Conference will face off on Monday night as the Los Angeles Clippers host the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers come into this game at 16-12 which is fourth in the conference while the Thunder come in at 18-9 which is third in the conference. Both teams seem to be chasing the Warriors and Spurs in the West but many people see them as legitimate threats to win the conference.
The Thunder seem to have hit their stride now as they have won seven of their last eight games with the lone loss being a close one to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Oklahoma City's last game was on Saturday when they embarrassed the Los Angeles Lakers in a 40 point rout and now they will take on the Clippers for the first time this season.
It is impossible to talk about the Thunder without first mentioning Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Both players are once again having phenomenal seasons as they are both around a 30 PER right now. Durant is averaging 27ppg/7.6rpg/4.1apg through 21 games while Westbrook is averaging 25.1/6.9/9.5 through 27 games. Westbrook's three point percentage is down to 31 percent so far this season though so that is worth keeping an eye on.
With Durant and Westbrook getting all of the attention, Enes Kanter has quietly been having a great season as well. He is third on the team with his 23.3 PER, which would be second on the Clippers, and he is nearly averaging a double-double (11.4 ppg and 8.1 rpg) in just 20.3 minutes per game while coming off the bench. Kanter has often been criticized for his defense and while it still isn't all that good it hasn't been quite as bad this season so far which is helping his PER be at a career high number.
The Clippers had won six of their last seven before losing their last two games including a lopsided loss to the underachieving Houston Rockets. Los Angeles is still in a good place in the standings but there still seems to be something missing to put this team over the top.
One of the big reasons for the Clippers' modest struggles is Chris Paul's numbers being down. Paul is averaging 16.8 points and 9.0 assist per game which would be the lowest they've been since he has been in Los Angeles. Paul's shooting percentages are also down as he is making just 44 percent of his field goals and 35 percent of his threes.
Blake Griffin is having an MVP type of season as his stats are tremendous once again but J.J. Redick has also been huge for the Clippers as he is third on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game and his 46 percent shooting from three is third best in the entire NBA. Redick has also become a very good team defender and is one of the most important players on this team.
On the injury front backup point guard Austin Rivers is listed as doubtful for the game with an ankle injury. If he can't play Pablo Prigioni would likely step in as the backup behind Paul, with Jamal Crawford possibly getting more minutes. The Thunder, on the other hand, have no injuries to report.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 10:30 P.M. Eastern time and to watch the live broadcast go here. For the Thunder radio broadcast go here and for the Clippers radio broadcast go here.
