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Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Pelicans
2026-27 · Regular season
LA Clippers beat Oklahoma City Thunder 113-112 with a 7-0 finish as Darius Garland’s and-one beats Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40
Brook Lopez scored 26 and Darius Garland had the go-ahead three-point play with 50.4 seconds left as the Clippers closed on a 7-0 run. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40, and Jared McCain hit seven threes for the Thunder.
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Darius Garland’s three-point play with 50.4 seconds left capped a 7-0 closing run, and the LA Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-112 in an Emirates NBA Cup group game at Intuit Dome on Friday, November 13. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 for Oklahoma City but missed two step-back jumpers in the final 37 seconds.
Brook Lopez led the Clippers with 26 points, 11 of them in the fourth quarter, and Garland scored 24 with 7 assists. Los Angeles improved to 3-8 and 1-1 in West Group B. The Thunder fell to 8-5 and 1-1 in the Cup and lost their third straight game, all on their current West Coast trip.
Video: NBA / X.
Clippers’ early lead
Both teams were short-handed. Oklahoma City played without Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylin Williams and Thomas Sorber, and started Isaiah Hartenstein and rookie Aday Mara together up front. The Clippers were missing Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Jordan Miller.
Lopez scored 8 points in the first quarter, and Los Angeles led 33-27 after one. Derrick Jones Jr.’s three from Max Strus made it 55-40 with 2:56 left in the second, the Clippers’ biggest lead, and they were up 57-44 at halftime. The Thunder made only 2 of 17 three-point attempts in the first half.
McCain’s third quarter
Jared McCain turned the game around after the break. He scored 17 points in the third quarter, opening it with a three and a fadeaway jumper as Oklahoma City started on a 13-1 run to get within 58-57. Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 14 in the quarter, tied it with a running dunk and put the Thunder ahead 65-63 with two free throws, their first lead of the night.
Gradey Dick’s three gave the Clippers an 82-81 edge with 7.2 seconds left in the quarter, but McCain answered with a 30-footer just before the horn for an 84-82 Thunder lead. His three early in the fourth, his seventh of the game, made it 88-82.
Video: NBA / X.
The finish
Lopez was called for a flagrant foul 1 after a review with 8:48 left, and Hartenstein’s free throw and a putback dunk made it 93-87. Gilgeous-Alexander’s three put Oklahoma City up 98-91 with 6:49 to play, its biggest lead. Dick scored 10 points in the fourth to keep the Clippers close, and Lopez’s three made it 100-99.
The teams traded baskets from there. Alex Caruso hit a three for a 105-101 lead, Garland answered with one to make it 107-106, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s step-back three made it 110-106 with 3:01 left. Caruso’s two free throws stretched the lead to 112-106 with 2:43 to go.
The Thunder did not score again. Lopez made a layup and a fadeaway jumper, both from Garland, to make it 112-110 with 1:25 left. After Caruso missed a driving layup, Garland drove for a layup through contact from McCain, tied the game at 112 and made the free throw. Gilgeous-Alexander missed a step-back jumper with 36.6 seconds left, Jones missed a layup at the other end, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s final step-back jumper missed with 2 seconds remaining.
Video: NBA / X.
Around the box
Lopez shot 11-of-21 and 3-of-8 from three with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Garland went 8-of-17 and 5-of-5 at the line. Jones and rookie Keaton Wagler scored 14 each, Dick had 13 off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting, and Rui Hachimura had 7 points and 11 rebounds. The Clippers made 16 of 41 threes and 17 of 21 free throws.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 15-of-26 and 8-of-11 at the line with 5 assists. McCain finished with 23 points on 7-of-11 three-point shooting, a career high for threes, and Hartenstein had 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting with 16 rebounds and 6 assists. Mara added 10 points and 3 blocks. Oklahoma City outscored Los Angeles 58-40 in the paint but made 11 of 35 threes, and its bench went 3-of-24 for 10 points. Attendance was 17,927.
Video: LA Clippers / X.
What’s next
The Clippers host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, November 15, at 4:30 p.m. ET (11:30 p.m. Cairo time). The Thunder visit the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, November 15, at 9 p.m. ET (4 a.m. Monday Cairo time).
Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.
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