Suffering at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, the Oklahoma City Thunder yearned to get their season back on track. Their situation though threw some obstacles into the franchise’s aims. Chet Holmgren suffered a hip injury and is out for an extended duration. That leaves the Thunder with no recognized center, and tonight they required a mechanism to stop the Clippers Ivica Zubac who is having a career-season. Ty Lue has a job in his hands!

Luckily, they didn’t see much of him. Even with their tallest player being 6’6″, OKC scored eight more points in the paint than the Clippers. Moreover, Zubac played his part in scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. However, the Thunder’s hounding defense compromised the Clippers’ ball security.

The plan was always to have Zubac involved in the game. The Thunder, though aware of their own weaknesses, ensured they devoted great attention to Zubac. In the first half, the Clippers center only managed four points with as many turnovers. “They were shrinking the floor, they were trying to double from the baseline, they were going for the first pass, but then I didn’t have good spacing, so I kept turning the ball over,” he admitted.

Ball security wasn’t only limited to Ivica Zubac. The Clippers conceded 32 points from turnovers after committing 24 in the game. Hence, Ty Lue needed to make switches. Hence, he found a way to allow his flourishing center to be more aggressive. “Giving me early post-ups… I wasn’t taking the ball out after makes. I was the first one down the floor and they would throw it to me when there was no help. There was no strengths on the floor and I could play when the defense was not set,” said the Clippers big about the changes. 

The former Cavaliers coach made the strategic changes necessary to succeed in the second half, which the Clippers did. After trailing by 20, they ended up losing by just six points. Still, the fanbase was irked with their coach over his one error.

Clippers fans couldn’t understand Ty Lue’s rotations

As mentioned before, the Thunder didn’t have Holmgren, a seven-footer who is among the best rim protectors and can space the floor. In their prior matchup, the battle of the centers curtailed both Holmgren and Zubac to unflattering scoring games. But tonight was a chance for the Clippers to capitalize. Unfortunately, Lue didn’t play the Croatian in their best spell.

“Ty Lue can’t even utilize Zubac with no Chet Holmgren tonight. He’s selling this game he’s so unserious tonight,” a frustrated fan shared. Through the standards he has set this season, Zubac had a great outing, scoring 22 with 14 rebounds. However, playing without a recognized center, the Clippers had the chance to run mostly through Zubac. While their tactics may not have helped, the Thunder too left the Clippers’ robust center with no room to breathe.

But it seems their rage went far beyond the usage of Zubac. “Lol Ty Lue literally threw this game away. Hot hand Norm he pulled him to Put in Harden who does nothing defensively when they needed stops. That 3rd quarter lineup who brought the game into a single digit game should have more minutes,” another fan wrote.

The LA side did unleash a furious second-half offense, led by Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell. Notably, the former Raptors guards scored 29 of his 31 in the second half. The Clippers pulled the game within arm’s reach, overthrowing a 20-point deficit. But they came up against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored a career-high 45 points to sink their ship.

Since they came this close, a certain part of their followers felt Ty Lue should have a better job consistently. “Ty Lue is so unbelievably incompetent. Zero post touches for Zubac against a starting lineup of both halves where SGA was the tallest guy out there at 6’6”. Dude should’ve been gone years ago. Now Harden playing zero D and gets Zoo benched,” they wrote.

In this regard, a fan even showcased the lineup Ty Lue opted for when the Clippers attempted to stage a rampaging comeback. The obvious weapon, Ivica Zubac, was absent, with the five prioritizing shooting. Furthermore, the Thunder’s tenacious defense on the center in the first half caused several turnovers and stagnant motions.

On the bright side, Ty Lue coached his side to display resilience. Despite a flat offense in the first half, he spun the web again, this time letting two of his most successful scorers lead the charge. The Clippers’ 128 mark is the second consecutive game the Thunder has conceded more than 120 points.

It was bound to be a tough game for the Los Angeles Clippers. While they did lose, their second half offered encouragement and set a high benchmark for the team.