Los Angeles Clippers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 12/21/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Clippers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2023

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

The Los Angeles Clippers (16-10) are en route to Paycom Center on Thursday where they will compete against the Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8).

The Clippers faced the Pacers and walked away with a win by a score of 151-127 in their last contest. When talking about personal fouls, the Clippers ended up with 19 and the Pacers totaled 21 personal fouls. They made 12 of their 33 tries from beyond the arc. Indiana shot 81.0% from the free throw line by converting 17 of their 21 tries. Moreover, Indiana grabbed 34 rebounds (11 offensive, 23 defensive) and got 9 blocks. Indiana distributed 38 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. In the matter of the defense, Los Angeles allowed the other team to shoot 51.6% from the field on 49 of 95 shooting. They also doled out 26 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In relation to getting rebounds, they collected a total of 46 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Clippers knocked down 20 of their 23 attempts for a percentage of 87.0%. Los Angeles wrapped up the contest with a 57.1% field goal percentage (56 of 98) and converted 19 out of their 38 three-point attempts.

James Harden is someone who had an impact in this contest. He finished with 35 points on 12 of 16 shooting. He played for 28 mins played and pulled down 3 boards. Harden finished 75.0% from the floor and earned 9 assists.

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Los Angeles will enter this matchup with a mark of 16-10 on the season. They are giving up possession 13.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 20.2 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Los Angeles is collecting 44.1 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 661 assists on the year, which is 21st in basketball in terms of passing the rock. The Clippers are hitting 38.3% on three-point shots (323 of 844) and 79.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 117.0 points per contest (9th in the NBA) while hitting 48.4% from the floor.

On defense, the Clippers are able to force 14.1 turnovers every game and they draw 20.7 fouls. They are 7th in basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 661 surrendered this season. The Clippers defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.3% (1,048 of 2,312) and they concede 43.0 boards per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 34.6% from 3-point land and they are ranked 6th in the NBA in points per game allowed (110.7).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Thunder got the victory with a final of 116-97 against the Grizzlies. In relation to cleaning the glass, Oklahoma City allowed Memphis to get 45 in total (7 offensive). They went 35.2% from behind the 3-point line via 19 of 54 and finished the game at 18 of 21 from the free throw line (85.7%). The Thunder permitted the Grizzlies to bury 30 of 85 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 35.3% in this contest. In all, the Thunder ended up shooting 42 out of 92 from the floor which had them at 45.7%. In relation to 3-point shots, Oklahoma City converted 11 of 36 attempts (30.6%). They were able to make 21 of those for a rate of 91.3%. The Grizzlies earned 19 fouls in the matchup which took the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 23 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while getting 11 steals in the matchup. The Thunder recorded 43 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 53 in this matchup.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended up being a factor for the Thunder for this game. He converted 8 out of 18 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 44.4%, and accounted for 9 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 30 points in his 28 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 5 dimes for this game.

Oklahoma City has a record of 17-8 on the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Thunder are connecting on 48.8% from the field, which has them ranked 4th in basketball. Oklahoma City has accounted for 3,005 pts this year (120.2 per contest) and they collect 41.6 boards per game. They are getting an assist 25.5 times per game (20th in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.9 times per contest. The Thunder have committed 20.2 fouls per game and they hit 85.6% from the free throw line.

The Oklahoma City defense surrenders 35.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (346 of 975) and opponents are converting on 78.9% of their foul shots. They have conceded 26.9 dimes and 46.7 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 21st and 29th in the league. The Thunder are ranked 12th in basketball in points allowed per game with 113.0. They are forcing 16.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.0% from the field (2nd in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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