Watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander score career-high 45, lift Thunder past Clippers

No Chet Holmgren. Or Isaiah Hartenstein. Or Jaylin Williams.

The Oklahoma City Thunder may be shorthanded along the frontline, but they are a team with incredible depth — and they have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He went off for a career-high 45 points plus nine assists to lift the Thunder past the visiting Clippers, 134-128.

In their first full game without Holmgren (out with a fractured hip), Oklahoma City went small, with guys 6’6″ and under most of the game, and just tried to run the Clippers out of the building. It worked, OKC was in control of this one most of the way, but the Clippers made a run near the end of the third quarter, including closing the third out on an 11-2 run, and got the lead down to three. Norman Powell scored 31 points to lead the Clippers, while James Harden had 17 points (on 5-of-15 shooting), 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Jalen Williams scored 28 points for the Thunder, Lu Dort added 19.