OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 108-94 on Tuesday night for their first win of the season.
Gilgeous-Alexander played after sitting out Sunday’s game against Minnesota with a bruised left hip. Against the Clippers, he made 11 of 22 field goals and 9 of 9 free throws and had eight assists.
The Clippers were without their two biggest stars. Kawhi Leonard sat out to rest his right knee and Paul George missed the game with an illness. Oklahoma City took advantage by holding the Clippers to 42% shooting.
Luke Kennard scored 15 points and Ivica Zubac had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers.
Tre Mann scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half and Gilgeous-Alexander added 14 to help Oklahoma City take a 49-43 lead at halftime.
The Thunder pulled away for good with a 21-0 run in the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander had eight points and two assists during the surge.
The Clippers didn't have a player reach double-figure points until Robert Covington made a 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the third quarter to get to 10.
Gilgeous-Alexander attempted 19 shots before taking a 3-pointer. He finally took one, and his bucket from straight away as the third quarter expired gave Oklahoma City an 84-68 lead.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Marcus Morris missed the game for personal reasons. ... Los Angeles shot 37.8% from the field in the first half. ... Former Thunder player Reggie Jackson scored nine points on 4-for-17 shooting. ... Kennard was called for a technical with 3:39 remaining.
Thunder: G Josh Giddey sat out with a sprained right ankle. ... Missed their first 10 3-pointers and made just 4 of 30 overall. ... G Lu Dort scored four points on 1-for-11 shooting. ... Took 110 shots to 83 for Los Angeles and outrebounded the Clippers 60-47.
UP NEXT
The Thunder will host the Clippers again on Thursday.
___
Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/CliffBruntAP
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
