Oklahoma City Thunder at LA Clippers
Friday, November 13, 2026
10:30 PM ET, Intuit Dome
The Thunder are 7.5-point favorites at most books, with the total at 222.5. My play is Thunder -7.5.
Look at Oklahoma City’s injury report and you’d wonder how this team is laying points on the road. Jalen Williams dislocated his left ankle and fractured his fibula against these same Clippers on October 25. Chet Holmgren has a patellar tendon tear and isn’t expected back until January. Cason Wallace has a torn labrum, Jaylin Williams has missed five straight games with back spasms, and Ajay Mitchell is questionable with an ankle sprain. The Thunder are so short on bodies that they traded two second-round picks to bring Nique Clifford back from Sacramento.
They’re still 8-4, and that tells you everything about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s averaging 29.7 points a game, scored 34 in the first meeting with L.A. and put up 31 in Wednesday’s loss at Portland. Even with half the rotation in street clothes, Oklahoma City is outscoring opponents by about four points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball Reference. Its defense still ranks fourth in the league.
The Clippers keep handing the ball away
Los Angeles is 2-8, and the problems run deeper than injuries. The Clippers average 18.5 turnovers a game, among the two worst marks in the NBA, and they turn it over on 16.1% of their possessions, the second-worst rate in the league. Their defense ranks among the six worst in points allowed per possession, and opponents are shooting the lights out against them. Phoenix went 22-of-43 from three in a 133-110 rout of the Clippers on Tuesday, and Tyronn Lue didn’t sugarcoat it. “We didn’t have that defensive mindset, that defensive toughness to be physical, get to guys, get back in transition, understand where shooters are,” he said. “That’s what we have to be and if we can’t be that, we can’t play.”
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Help isn’t arriving tonight, either. Brandon Ingram is close, but Lue says he won’t play against the Thunder. Bradley Beal and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are still working toward their season debuts. That leaves Darius Garland (20.4 points a game) running an offense with very little margin for error against a defense that makes you work for every shot. On the other end, Isaiah Hartenstein just put up 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists at Portland, and he’s averaging 10.1 boards. The Clippers are a below-average defensive rebounding team.
There’s also something on the line. Oklahoma City is 1-0 in West Group B of the NBA Cup, and the Clippers are 0-1. After two straight losses in Portland, the Thunder have had a day off to reset. The Clippers are 2-3 at home.
Am I nervous? A little. When I run the two teams’ efficiency numbers, I get Oklahoma City by about eight, which is barely past the number. This is a lean, not a lock. The Thunder’s depth is so thin that if Gilgeous-Alexander has an off night or gets in foul trouble, nobody is coming to bail them out. The Clippers are also shooting 38% from three, which is enough to steal a backdoor cover late. I’d still rather lay the points with the best player on the floor against a team that turns it over this much than bet on the Clippers to suddenly start defending.
Projected score: Thunder 116, Clippers 106
The Pick: Thunder -7.5 (-110)
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