Ty Lue Praises Clippers’ Persistence After Dramatic Win Over Thunder

The Los Angeles Clippers finally had a close finish go their way.

Darius Garland converted the decisive three-point play with 50.4 seconds remaining on Friday, helping Los Angeles defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-112 at Intuit Dome. The Clippers improved to 3-8 overall and 1-1 in NBA Cup group play.

For head coach Ty Lue, the significance extended beyond the final basket. After a difficult opening stretch, his team stayed within reach long enough to force the stops and score the points needed to win.

“If you do the right things the right way, it’s going to eventually work out for you,” Lue said.

Los Angeles trailed 112-106 with 2:43 remaining before scoring the game’s final seven points. Brook Lopez supplied two baskets during that closing stretch, and Garland completed the comeback with his drive, finish and free throw.

The Clippers then survived Oklahoma City’s final opportunities, including a missed jumper by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the buzzer. Lopez finished with 26 points, while Garland added 24.

That sequence gave substance to Lue’s message. Staying committed mattered because the Clippers needed multiple successful possessions at both ends, with little margin for an empty trip or defensive mistake.

Garland’s basket will receive much of the attention, but the comeback required Los Angeles to keep the deficit manageable first. Lopez’s scoring allowed the Clippers to approach the final minute with a realistic opportunity to take the lead.

For a team searching for consistency, those connected possessions offer something concrete to build upon. The challenge is producing them throughout a game instead of needing them to rescue the finish.

The Clippers had entered halftime ahead 57-44 before Oklahoma City outscored them 40-25 in the third quarter. A game Los Angeles had controlled became another test of its ability to respond when momentum shifted.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points, Jared McCain scored 23 and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds. Derrick Jones Jr. and Keaton Wagler each scored 14 for the Clippers, while Gradey Dick added 13.

The reversal made the fourth-quarter response more meaningful. Los Angeles had to recover from surrendering its advantage while preventing the frustration of that stretch from deciding the remaining minutes.

There is still work to do in protecting leads and limiting the runs that force difficult finishes. Winning this game gives the Clippers an opportunity to address those problems with evidence that their late execution can hold up.

One victory does not resolve the issues behind a 3-8 start. It does, however, reward the habits Lue is asking his players to maintain.

The Clippers received important scoring from several positions and found a productive combination in Garland and Lopez when the game tightened. Their ability to close the final gap gave Los Angeles a result that had been difficult to secure.

The next measure of progress is whether those possessions become repeatable. For one night, the Clippers paired persistence with enough execution to finish the job.