Besides their loss to Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers have won all the matches in the NBA this season. The Clippers will hope to take revenge when they clash once again against the Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Friday.
Blake Griffin vs Russell Westbrook contest is going to be an entertaining affair as they have been solid for their respective teams. Griffin averages 19.6 ppg this season, and Westbrook has shouldered the responsibility, scoring 31.1 ppg after Kevin Durant left for Golden State Warriors.
Griffin has been brilliantly supported by Chris Paul, and if the duo continues their act together, as they have been doing, they will be a huge threat to other teams in the competition. The Clippers are on top of the western conference with seven wins and one loss, and can further strengthen their position by defeating the Thunder on Friday.
Clippers player Jamal Crawford is aware that they cannot be complacent after a good start, as they will lose some matches here and there, but wants to build on the winning momentum.
"We understand it's a long season. We'll have stretches where we may lose a couple of games in a row. So you don't want to get too high or too low over the course of the season. But you want to build good habits," Stats LLC quoted Jamal Crawford as saying.
The Clippers, after their loss to Thunder in their last head-to-head clash, must have learned some lessons, and will be keen to make sure that they do not repeat the same. Westbrook has been splendid in the season, but he will need regular contribution from players such as Victor Oladipo and the rest.
If Westbrook has a great game, it is going to be tough for the Clippers. The Thunder have played eight matches, winning six and losing two, and they do come into this match with a loss against the Toronto Raptors by 10 points.
They could have won that game if their defence looked sharp in the fourth quarter. They have to be tight against the Clippers else Griffin and Paul will just explode and hand Thunder their third loss of the season. Coach Billy Donovan wants a solid game on both ends from the Thunder.
"I think a lot of things for us defensively, we can look at from rebounding to pick-and-roll coverage to our transition defence where we can continue to try to get better and improve," Donovan said.
Where to watch live
Thunder vs Clippers is scheduled for 8 pm ET (6:30 am IST). Tv and Live streaming options can be found below.
India: TV: Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
USA: TV: NBA TV
Japan: Wowow.
Korea: SpoTV2
Philippines: TV: NBA Premium
International: NBA Online.
