Oklahoma City has had a rough stretch to begin the week, but it has a perfect opportunity to get back on track. 

On Friday night, the Thunder’s road trip on the West Coast will continue with a battle at the Intuit Dome against the LA Clippers. Last time the Thunder faced the Clippers, they lost three starters to long-term injuries, so this matchup is likely one that’s been circled on the calendar. 

Beyond those narratives, it’s also a key matchup because it’s an NBA Cup group play game. The Thunder dominated in their group play opener last Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies and will look to have more of the same success when they take the floor against the Clippers. 

While they’ll be looking to continue their NBA Cup success, the Thunder will also be looking to change their overall fortunes after a couple of tough losses against the Trail Blazers in Portland earlier this week. Failing to keep up with the Blazers in the second half of both contests, the Thunder’s injury situation certainly appeared to catch up to them in that game. 

However, the Blazers are one of the top teams in the West in the early portion of the season, and those matchups would’ve been tough regardless of who Oklahoma City had available. Meanwhile, the Clippers are anticipated to be one of the worst teams in the West and have lived up to that expectation through the first few weeks of the season. 

Given that the Thunder’s schedule won’t feature many great teams over the next several weeks, this game against the Clippers should be an opportunity for them to get back to their winning ways and stay there. The Clippers are still a solid team and can give the Thunder a run for their money, as evidenced by the tight game the teams played at Paycom Center in October, but the Thunder should come out more aggressive for a number of reasons.

With this being an NBA Cup game, there should be an emphasis on the Thunder’s side to showcase exactly how good they can still be. With something to prove after a couple of tough losses in Portland, the Thunder can push themselves a bit closer to the knockout stages with another solid win to close out their road NBA Cup slate. 

The Thunder should come out with an attitude on Friday night in LA as they look to avoid a three-game losing skid, and playing on an NBA Cup court should only add to their fire.