Final: Thunder 108, Clippers 101
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 — Paycom Center, Oklahoma City
The Clippers made 15 threes to Oklahoma City's eight, outscored the Thunder by 21 points from deep, led after the first half and were down one going into the fourth. They still lost by seven, because 26 turnovers became 38 Thunder points and Oklahoma City owned the paint 64-36. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 on 13-of-26, Alex Caruso closed the door off the bench, and the Clippers fell to 1-2 while the Thunder moved to 3-0.
Game flow
First quarter (OKC 23-20). The opening script was the one we feared in the preview: the Thunder made the Clippers play in traffic, and the extra possessions started piling up early.
Second quarter (LAC 46-43 at half). Los Angeles won the period 26-20 behind its shooting and took a three-point lead into the locker room, the best version of the "make enough threes to survive the turnovers" plan.
Third quarter (OKC 77-76 after three). The Clippers scored 30 in the third and still lost the quarter, because Oklahoma City put up 34. The turnover tax arrived right on schedule: the possession count was tilting toward the Thunder, and the paint gap kept widening.
Fourth quarter (OKC 31-25). It stayed a coin flip into the final minutes. Keaton Wagler stripped SGA less than a minute after he checked back in and converted an and-1 to make it 88-87 with 7:22 left. Isaiah Jackson's putbacks helped tie it 90-90 at 5:39. Then the swing: a 49-second Jackson stretch with a travel, a goaltend on an Ajay Mitchell and-1 and an offensive foul, plus a lost challenge, left OKC up 97-93 at 3:37. Derrick Jones Jr. hit a three to get within 97-96, and Caruso answered with two free throws, a block on Darius Garland and an assist to Jalen Williams for 101-96 at 2:16. Brook Lopez's and-1 cut it to 103-99 at 1:14, but a Jones flagrant 1, upheld on review, sent OKC to the line and the lead back to 106-99. Ballgame.
Team analysis
Shooting. The Clippers shot 37-of-81 (45.7%) and 15-of-38 from three (39.5%). Oklahoma City shot 42-of-94 (44.7%) and only 8-of-24 from three (33.3%). Los Angeles was the better shooting team by percentage and by a mile from deep, and lost anyway.
Turnovers. This is the game. The Clippers committed 26 turnovers to OKC's 17, and the Thunder turned those into 38 points against 23 the other way. Oklahoma City had 15 steals. That is now 70 Clippers turnovers in three games, and the 26 tied their total from the Lakers loss.
Rebounding and shot volume. OKC grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to the Clippers' eight and won the boards 46-38. Add the turnover gap and the Thunder took 94 shots to the Clippers' 81, 13 extra looks that more than erased a 21-point edge from three.
Paint and free throws. Oklahoma City scored 64 in the paint to 36, a 28-point margin, and went 16-of-17 at the line to the Clippers' 12-of-15. Fast-break points were close (LAC 20, OKC 19), so the damage came from half-court drives and second chances, not just run-outs.
Ball movement. The Clippers assisted on 30 of 37 baskets. The offense works when it gets a shot up. It just did not get enough of them.
Player breakdowns
Darius Garland: 16 points, 11 assists, 6 turnovers, 7-of-17, -20 in 36 minutes. The double-double hides the problem. Garland was 2-of-8 from three, and his six giveaways came against exactly the kind of length and ball pressure we flagged pregame. The Clippers were -20 in his minutes and won the rest by 13.
Kris Dunn: 15 points on 6-of-8, 6 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, +5. Dunn was the Clippers' best two-way player. His five steals and his on-ball work on SGA were a big reason this stayed close, and he was one of only four Clippers with a positive plus-minus.
The bench bigs and rookies. Brook Lopez had 15 on 5-of-10 with three threes in 23 minutes, still short of the minutes his production has earned. Isaiah Jackson finished with 10 points, 4 offensive rebounds and 4 assists, but also four turnovers and five fouls, and that late sequence will be on the film. Wagler went 6-of-6 at the line for 11 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kobe Sanders (12 points) and Gradey Dick (6) were both +11.
For OKC: SGA had 34 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and was +17. Ajay Mitchell added 18 on 8-of-14 off the bench, and Caruso put up 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a game-high +18.
How the CNI pick held up
We picked Thunder 114, Clippers 103. Oklahoma City scored 108 and won by seven, so we had the winner and missed the margin by four. The reason we gave held up exactly: turnover pressure, not shooting, decided it. The preview's success bar called for Garland at four turnovers or fewer and the Clippers even in the paint; they missed both, with six and a 28-point paint deficit.
What's next
The Clippers (1-2) come home for the Lakers rematch at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, then open Emirates NBA Cup group play Friday, Oct. 30 at Minnesota. The shooting is real. Until the turnovers come down from 23.3 per game, the scoreboard will keep telling the same story.
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