Brook Lopez scored 26 points and Darius Garland added 24 as the Los Angeles Clippers overturned a six-point deficit in the final 2:43 to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-112 on Friday night in an NBA Cup game. Garland's three-point play with 50.4 seconds remaining put the Clippers ahead for good, completing a seven-point finish that handed Los Angeles its second win in three games after an opening 1-7 start to the season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points for Oklahoma City, including a leaning three-pointer with 3:01 remaining that gave the Thunder a 110-106 lead, but he missed a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer that would have won it. The loss was the Thunder's third straight and their longest skid of the season, and it dropped them to 0-3 on a four-game West Coast trip. Oklahoma City is now 8-5 overall.S1S2
The game turned on a sharp shift in shooting. The Clippers led 57-44 at halftime, with Lopez already holding 12 points, while the Thunder made just two of their 17 three-point attempts in the first half. Oklahoma City responded with a 40-point third quarter, going 5-of-11 from beyond the arc to take control, and finished with 11 threes on 35 attempts against Los Angeles's 16-of-41.S1S2
Lopez finished 11-of-21 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range, with seven rebounds and four assists. Garland shot 8-of-17, made all five of his free throws and added seven assists. Derrick Jones Jr. and rookie Keaton Wagler scored 14 points each, and Gradey Dick added 13 off the bench. For Oklahoma City, Jared McCain scored 23 points, making seven of his 11 three-point attempts, while Isaiah Hartenstein had 21 points and 16 rebounds and rookie Aday Mara added 10 points and three blocks.S1S2
Oklahoma City again played without starters Chet Holmgren (knee), Jalen Williams (leg) and Cason Wallace (shoulder), all sidelined since October 26, and started Hartenstein and Mara together for the second straight game and fourth time this season. The Thunder visit Sacramento on Sunday, while the Clippers host Charlotte that day, with the Clippers now 3-3 at home.S1S2
