On December 22, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Clippers challenged the Thunder back-to-back. In this game, Xiaoka was absent due to injury, and the Clippers came up and fell into passivity, but they quickly caught up with the score, trailing by 5 points at halftime, and once overtook the score in the third quarter, but then the opponent blasted out a 19-2 offensive, and the game was one-sided, and the Thunder has always taken the initiative. In the end, the Clippers lost to the Thunder 115-134, and the nine-game winning streak was ended.
The Clippers have been on a hot streak lately, and the team has managed to get on the right track, winning nine straight games to climb to fourth place in the West. And in this back-to-back game against the Thunder, Xiaoka was absent due to injury, which can be regarded as a tactical rotation, which is also the first time he has been absent this season. The Thunder this time was waiting for work, and they also took the initiative when they came up, and did not give the Clippers too many opportunities, and the team played very well overall, and finally defeated the opponent by 19 points, ending the Clippers' nine-game winning streak while holding the second place in the West.
This time, Harden continued to play, playing 33 minutes, 7-of-18, 4-of-9 three-pointers, and got 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, but unfortunately he still couldn't help the team win. Harden's fitness also had some impact and failed to continue his hot streak. After the game, Harden praised the opponent, "It reminds me of when I was here, and that was the beginning of the Thunder's rise. Harden started his career with the Thunder as the Sixth Man of the Year and reached the Finals with Durant Willis before joining the Rockets and growing into a star.
George ushered in his comeback and was in good shape, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range to finish with 22 points and four assists. This time he only played 29 minutes, trailing by 17 points in the first three quarters, and the Clippers did not close the score in the final quarter, so George clocked out early. After the game, he revealed that his condition had improved and that his groin injury was no longer a problem. The most important thing for the Clippers to maintain now is to be healthy, after all, the team is back on track.
Wei Shao's return to his hometown this time also won the applause of the fans, he is a hero at the home of the Thunder, and he deserves everyone's applause. This time, he also played very aggressively and energetically, getting 29 minutes of playing time, and had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-12 shooting. After the game, Wei Shao also praised the Thunder fans as the best fans in the world, and the two sides respected each other.