Los Angeles Clippers vs Oklahoma City Thunder 11/1/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Matchup Preview (11/1/21)

The Thunder (1-5) will host the Clippers (1-4) for an underwhelming but bet-worthy Western Conference matchup. Los Angeles has not looked like the same team as last season in the playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. Even without Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers were still competitive and looked like they belonged there, especially after finishing off the Utah Jazz in the prior series. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City is in a similarly negative situation, except that it does not have a player of Kawhi Leonard’s caliber waiting to return from injury. The Thunder have a team this year that may not win 20 games, and it feels in a way like it is all a part of the design from their organization’s front office. They rank dead-last or next-to-last in the most important statistical categories through their first six games, and this is not likely to change any time soon. Still, I believe the Thunder could keep this game close and have a decent likelihood of covering at home, especially since the Los Angeles Clippers have been struggling significantly on offense thus far.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Betting Odds

There are no odds yet on this game, but we will insert an odds table that will populate when they drop.

Los Angeles (2-3 ATS) should be a road favorite against a poor Thunder (2-4 ATS) team. However, I like the Thunder to cover in this game. The Thunder have put a few solid games together at home, including a win against the Los Angeles Lakers and a super close game against the Golden State Warriors where they blew a big lead. While Oklahoma City likely will not win this game, I think the game will stay close throughout. The only way that the Clippers run away with this one is if the Thunder stick Giddey on Paul George as his primary defender.

For the point total, I am leaning towards the under. While the line isn’t set yet, I have a hard time thinking that Vegas will come up with a line to scare me off the under. Both of these teams are low-scoring and struggle on offense. As mentioned before, the Clippers are obviously favorites to win, and should primarily because of their defense, which is borderline top ten in the NBA; however, that does not mean they will put a ton of points on the board. They are dealing with several key injuries that could keep them from running away offensively.

TV Schedule

Date: 11/1/21
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Arena: Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
Channel: NBA League Pass

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Los Angeles Clippers Starting Lineup

PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Eric Bledsoe
SF: Paul George
PF: Nicolas Batum
C: Ivica Zubac

Los Angeles Clippers Analysis

The Clippers can’t seem to catch a break, honestly. They won’t have Kawhi Leonard for the majority, if not all, of the season, and also have recently had several players sustain injuries, including Keon Johnson, Serge Ibaka, and Marcus Morris Sr. Now, Los Angeles is incredibly thin in its frontcourt, and this could be a problem until Morris and Ibaka can get healthy. Surprisingly, the Clippers have been fairly atrocious offensively so far in the 2021-22 season. They rank in the bottom-five or bottom ten in virtually every offensive statistic and measurement, which is not great considering they still have Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Eric Bledsoe, Luke Kennard, and others. Paul George has certainly been doing his part, though, averaging just shy of 28 points per game and being a creator and playmaker on offense. It won’t take much for the Clippers to get past the Thunder, but that does not mean they will blow them out.

Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Luguentz Dort
SF: Josh Giddey
PF: Darius Bazley
C: Derrick Favors

Oklahoma City Thunder Analysis

There is not much positive going on in Oklahoma City right now outside of having a few talented young guys and a ton of future draft picks. Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are the two bright lights for the Thunder. Giddey averages 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists, while Shai has put up 22 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Outside of them, Oklahoma City has struggled to garner any respectable offensive production. The Thunder are 29th in points per game, offensive efficiency, and 3P% (three-point percentage). They rank 28th in eFG% (effective field goal%) and 26th in total rebounds per game.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Daily Fantasy Picks

Paul George is putting up some strong numbers through the Clippers’ first five games. George averages 27.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 steals on 50/37.5/80 shooting splits. What is most impressive is that he is merely a half of an assist away per game from leading the Clippers in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. George is being heavily used on the offensive end, and his presence on defense also provides an extra boost to your lineup. With Kawhi not set to return for quite some time and Marcus Morris Sr, Serge Ibaka, Keon Johnson, and Jason Preston all out as well, George should continue seeing an absurd amount of usage on offense. He has tremendous upside in this game, too, as Oklahoma City is a miserable basketball team on offense and defense.

Outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, there are not any surefire, huge fantasy producers. However, you can get some good value with a player like Josh Giddey. Giddey started off the season slow in his first two games but has averaged 13.5 points, 6.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game over his past four. Giddey is a player that will see continual heavy usage, especially since the Thunder are downright terrible, and will want to utilize him and Gilgeous-Alexander as much as possible within their offense so they can keep improving.