INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Clippers were down six with 2:43 left Friday night, and Darius Garland and Brook Lopez took it from there. The two scored the Clippers’ last seven points, Garland finished it with a three-point play with 50.4 seconds left, and Los Angeles beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-112 at Intuit Dome.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had two chances to answer. The Thunder star, who scored 40 points on 15-of-26 shooting against the franchise that drafted him in 2018, missed step-back jumpers with 36.6 seconds and 2.0 seconds left, and the last one rolled off.
It was the Clippers’ first win over Oklahoma City since January 2024, and it moved them to 3-8. The Thunder lost a third straight game for the first time since April 2024 and fell to 8-5. Both teams are 1-1 in West Group B of the NBA Cup.
Jared McCain Brings Oklahoma City Back
Los Angeles built a 15-point lead in the second quarter and was up 57-44 at halftime after Oklahoma City made 2 of its 17 3-point attempts. Jared McCain changed the game in the third. He hit five 3-pointers in the period, the last from 30 feet with 0.5 seconds left, and the Thunder outscored the Clippers 40-25 to take an 84-82 lead. McCain finished with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from deep.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said his message after that start to the third quarter was simple: stay with it and win the game however they could. Oklahoma City, again without Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and Ajay Mitchell, kept leaning on Isaiah Hartenstein, who had 21 points and 16 rebounds on 9-of-10 shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 26-foot 3-pointer made it 98-91 with 6:49 left, the Thunder’s largest lead.
Gradey Dick kept the Clippers close with 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter. Garland’s 26-foot pull-up got Los Angeles within 107-106, but Gilgeous-Alexander answered with a leaning 3-pointer, and two Alex Caruso free throws made it 112-106.
Darius Garland And Brook Lopez Finish It
Garland had turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions midway through the quarter. Lue said Garland let those turnovers go, stayed in the moment, and brought the Clippers home.
He did it with Lopez. Garland hit Lopez on a cut for a finger-roll layup, and after the Clippers kept the ball alive on a missed 3-pointer, Garland found him again for a 12-foot fadeaway that made it 112-110 with 1:25 left. Lopez took 21 shots on the night, and the Clippers needed the last two.
On the next trip, the Clippers moved the ball until Lopez found Garland. Garland said the goal was to get everyone a touch on the possession. He saw a gap and decided against a 3-pointer.
“I wasn’t shooting it too well in my opinion. So, yeah, just took the layup and finished it,” Garland said.
He scored through a foul by McCain and made the free throw for the lead. Gilgeous-Alexander missed a step-back on the next trip, and after Derrick Jones Jr. missed a cutting layup with 16.5 seconds left, the Thunder played on without a timeout. Lue said the Clippers sent a second defender at Gilgeous-Alexander twice on that possession, and twice he moved the ball. Jones got back in time. He said he tried to keep Gilgeous-Alexander from going left into his step-back. Jones contested the 21-footer, which missed.
Lopez finished with a season-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, and Garland had 24 points and 7 assists. The Clippers committed only 11 turnovers. Rookie Keaton Wagler scored 14 and Dick 13 as the Clippers’ bench outscored Oklahoma City’s 40-10.
Los Angeles hosts the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT, and Oklahoma City finishes its trip at the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at 8 p.m. CT.
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