Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points on Friday night, but the LA Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-112 in an NBA Cup game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, closing the game on a 7-0 run after trailing by six with less than three minutes to play. The Associated Press report carried by TSN confirms the final score and that Gilgeous-Alexander missed a 21 foot jumper at the buzzer that would have won it.
The Hamilton, Ontario guard finished 15 of 26 from the field, 2 of 4 from three and 8 of 11 at the line, with four rebounds and five assists. It was his third 40 point game of the season, and it still was not enough to stop a third straight loss for the short handed Thunder.
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Forty Points, One Shot Short
Gilgeous-Alexander carried Oklahoma City back into the game almost by himself. The Thunder trailed 57-44 at halftime and shot just 2 of 17 from three in the first two quarters, then outscored the Clippers 40-25 in the third quarter behind their star. His leaning three pointer with 3:01 remaining gave Oklahoma City a 110-106 lead, and the margin reached 112-106 with 2:43 left.
He had two late looks to finish the job. A step back jumper in the final minute missed, and after Darius Garland put the Clippers ahead, Gilgeous-Alexander got the last shot of the night, a 21 foot attempt at the buzzer that missed the mark. The two time MVP needed two more points, and said as much through his stat line: 40 points in a one point loss, with the winning shot in his hands at the end.
The efficiency mattered as much as the total. Gilgeous-Alexander had shot a combined 17 of 42 across the two losses to Portland earlier in the week, and Friday he was back over 50 percent from the field on a heavier workload. The quarter scores tell the shape of his night: the Clippers won the first quarter 33-27 and the second 24-17, the Thunder took the third 40-25 almost entirely on his surge, and the Clippers took the fourth 31-28 by the length of one possession.
Lopez And Garland Close The Door
The comeback belonged to two Clippers veterans. Brook Lopez scored a team high 26 points on 11 of 21 shooting, with seven rebounds, four assists and three three pointers. He scored twice inside the final two and a half minutes, first on an inside basket with 2:21 remaining and then on a pullup jumper, cutting the lead to one possession and then to one point.
Garland finished with 24 points and seven assists, and he scored the decisive basket, a driving layup through contact for a three point play with 50.4 seconds left that gave the Clippers their first fourth quarter lead. Derrick Jones Jr. and rookie Keaton Wagler added 14 points each, and Gradey Dick had 13, as the Clippers won for the second time in three games after a 1-7 start. It was also their first win over Oklahoma City since January 16, 2024, ending a nine game losing streak against the Thunder.
I’m just proud of the guys. Got down six, I think, and then to come back and win that game is a huge win for us. – Tyronn Lue, Clippers head coach, via the Clippers game recap
Third Straight Loss Sends Thunder To Sacramento
Oklahoma City fall to 8-5 with a third straight defeat, a season high losing run, and both teams now sit at 1-1 in NBA Cup group play. Jared McCain added 23 points for the Thunder, but the story of their week is a team that led this game by six in the final minutes and let it go, one night of a slide that has followed two losses to Portland earlier in the week.
For Gilgeous-Alexander, the individual standard has not moved. Three 40 point games before the middle of November is the level the Canadian star now plays at every week, and Friday was his most efficient of the three after two difficult shooting nights against the Trail Blazers. Lopez’s 26 points were a season high for the veteran centre, one more sign that this Clippers win was built on players producing above their season norms on the same night. The Thunder visit the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, and the Clippers stay home to face Charlotte the same day. If Oklahoma City are going to stop the slide, it starts with closing a game their best player has already carried them to the edge of winning.
