National Basketball Association

Oklahoma City Thunder to Face First Proper Test against LA Clippers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Oklahoma City Thunder face their first proper test of the season tonight when they hit the court against the LA Clippers.

Despite the record-breaking performances of Russell Westbrook, the Thunder have had a fairly easy start to the 2016/17 season. Last year the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadephia 76ers collectively mustered only 50 wins; that’s three less than LA’s total last season.

Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Co. will pose more of a threat to the side than they have experienced as a unit this year. For those who haven’t hit top gear like Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, this could be a tough task.

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The latter is in line to start against the Clippers following the surprise departure of Ersan Ilyasova. The youngster committed four fouls in just seven minutes against Julius Randle last time out, and this time he’ll be faced with a former NBA All-Star – Blake Griffin.

October 31, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) speaks with guard Chris Paul (3) during a stoppage in play against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The 27-year-old is leading his side on points so far this season, with returns of 27, 18 and 21 to start the campaign. He’s backed this up with an impressive amount of rebounds too – 11.3 per game to be exact.

DeAndre Jordan’s consistent defense will be another issue for any misfiring Thunder players, with the center expected to grab double figures on boards once again.

Last season the Thunder were narrow winners against the Clippers. Overall they won three of the four games, but two were by thin margins.

Their December matchup ended 100-99 in OKC’s favor, before the Clippers won 103-98 in March. The Thunder’s biggest win against them came just a week later – in a 120-108 win at the Chesapeake Arena. The final game ended 119-117 to Billy Donovan’s side.

The big matchup

February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) celebrates with Western Conference guard Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers (3) during the second half of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. The West defeated the East 163-158. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Irregardless of the talent on the court, all eyes will be on the battle of the point guards tonight. Chris Paul vs Russell Westbrook for the first time will be one of the one most interesting matchups in the league, especially following the latter’s start to the campaign.

Westbrook became the first player in the history of the NBA to record 100 points, 30 rebounds and 30 assists following his performance against the Lakers, and will hope to take that form into the trip to LA.

Chris Paul meanwhile has enjoyed a steady, but improvable start to his campaign. The All-Star guard has averaged 20 points and 7.3 assists to start the season. Last year he ended with 19.5 points per game, and 10.0 assists.

Game time is set for 9:30 Central time and will air on ESPN.