Thunder storm back to defeat Clippers

[December 23, 2019]    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career high of 32 points set in his previous game to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 118-112 win against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night.

Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell (5) fights for position against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Abdel Nader (11) during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Gilgeous-Alexander was part of the trade that sent six-time NBA All-Star Paul George to the Clippers last July.

George, who received a warm reception from the crowd in his first return to Oklahoma City, finished with 18 points.

Dennis Schroder scored 14 of his 28 points in the final 3:36 to help the Thunder come from behind and then pull away in the final minutes.

Steven Adams had 20 points and a season-high 17 rebounds and Chris Paul had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Oklahoma City, which has won a season-high four straight games to move over .500 for the first time (15-14).

Lou Williams made a rare start for the Clippers, filling in for Patrick Beverley (sore groin), and scored a team-high 22 points. Montrezl Harrell added 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The Thunder took their first lead since the opening four minutes when Paul made a pull-up jumper to make it 103-102 with 3:05 left.

Schroder's 3-pointer with 1:47 remaining gave Oklahoma City the lead for good at 108-106 and sparked a 9-0 run.

George and Ivica Zubac each made their first three shots as the Clippers built an early 21-14 lead.

Los Angeles led by as many as 18 in the second quarter before Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 points in a 15-2 run that cut the deficit to 55-50 with 2:22 left in the half.

The Thunder twice came back to tie the score in the third quarter before Paul's 3-pointer at the buzzer cut the deficit to three entering the fourth.

The Clippers rested leading scorer Kawhi Leonard (25.5 points per game) after he played 27 minutes on Saturday night in a 134-109 win at the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard has not played in back-to-back games this season because of lingering knee issues.

Los Angeles is 18-5 with Leonard in the lineup and 4-5 without.

The Thunder played without second-leading scorer Danilo Gallinari (18.0), who was a late scratch because of an ankle injury.

--Field Level Media

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