It’s a Western Conference clash tonight between Oklahoma City Thunder and LA Clippers. This won’t be a deciding factor game, since both the teams have already clinched a berth in playoffs. But Thunder will be playing without a full-power lineup.
Chris Paul has led Thunder to a good spot in the bubble. Well, the big man himself will be out of the upcoming game against the Clippers due to a left-hand sprain. It wouldn’t make much of a difference to the team. At the maximum, Thunder would just toggle between the fourth and fifth positions.
Dennis Schroder has recently returned to the Bubble, but he has been quarantined as per the Bubble guidelines. He won’t make it to the Clippers game but is expected to be back in the first round of playoffs. Moreover, Lu Dort will also be missing the game, which will lead to quite an empty lineup on Thunder’s end.
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Lu Dort has a right knee sprain and will he out tomorrow against the Clippers, and is listed as day to day going forward. Also, Chris Paul is out tomorrow with a left hand sprain.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) August 13, 2020
Will their strong bench strength help Clippers to a win?
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On the other hand, Clippers have just defeated the Denver Nuggets in the last match that took them to a 4-3 winning record in Orlando. Clippers’ bigs Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are not expected to make an appearance against the Thunder.
The LA team has been in news lately because of Paul and Patrick Beverley’s beef with Damian Lillard a few days back. Lillard has been impressive than ever since then and made him the Bubble star as well.
Well, Lou Williams will be leading the Clippers side in this matchup. It’s time to flaunt their bench strength right before they step into the playoffs, since Clippers are known for that. They will have that advantage over Thunder since both are missing some key players.
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The two teams are looking at the future perspective of resting their starters. So it’s clear that more than this match, the goal is above that- the playoffs.
It will be interesting to watch how the depth of each team’s lineup will work on the floor. It won’t be a star-filled performance, but still a match worth watching.