One of the most impressive streaks in the NBA was broken Friday night. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander scored 17 points against the Denver Nuggets failing to reach 20 points and ending his 141 game streak of scoring 20 or more points. Gilgeous-Alexander had broken the record from the previous holder, Wilt Chamberlain, who went 126 straight games. Gilgeous-Alexander will be looking to start the streak over Sunday night when the Thunder take on the new look Los Angeles Clippers. After losing Kawhi Leonard in the offseason, the Clippers have started with a 121-96 win over the Kings and a 125-117 loss to the Lakers. Darius Garland has stepped into the main scorer role early on, averaging 28 points per game.
Garland has been impressive scoring the basketball, but he also led the Clippers in their biggest problem so far: turnovers. In the loss to the Lakers, Garland had a team-high nine turnovers. As a team, the Clippers had 26 total turnovers. With the team adjusting their gameplan on offense, they have struggled to take care of the basketball. This could be a big problem against a Thunder team that already looks like they will once again be top defense in the NBA. After playing two superb offenses in the Spurs and the Nuggets, the Thunder are holding opponents to 95.9 points per 100 possessions. They finished last year with a league best defensive rating of 106.5 and were third in steals with 9.7. So far this season, on top of their great defense, the Thunder have also limited turnovers on the other end. They are first in the NBA with the fewest turnovers(11.5 per game). The Thunder look intent on getting out to a fast start, and Sunday’s game against the Clippers is a mismatch on paper.
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