Kevin Durant's 36 sparks Thunder over Clippers
Kevin Durant finished with 36 points and recorded eight rebounds to help the Oklahoma City Thunder slip by the Los Angeles Clippers, 118-112. The Thunder shot lights out in this game, finishing 44-79 (55.7%). The Conference Semifinals now sit at 2-1.
Durant finished 14-24 from the field (1-4 on 3-point attempts) in a solid outing. Oklahoma City also got solid performances from Russell Westbrook with 23 points and 13 assists, and Serge Ibaka with 20 points and six rebounds. The Thunder withstood another strong game from Blake Griffin, who put up 34 points on 13-22 shooting from the field and 8-9 from the free throw line. Chris Paul chipped in 21 points and 16 assists and DeAndre Jordan finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
In terms of eFG%, Oklahoma City dominated Game 3, topping the Clippers 59.5%-48.9% in that metric. Along with their sterling eFG%, the Thunder posted a FTA rate of 35.4 in this game. For comparison, during the regular season they were undefeated (8-0) when they exceeded 55% and 35.0 in those respective metrics. Conversely, the Clippers were 2-1 when they allowed their opponents to hit those marks.
Playing in front of the home crowd, Los Angeles wasn't able to take advantage and get the victory. Oklahoma City will attempt to continue its road success and build upon its lead.
