The Clippers, 1-1 and seventh, start the week at the Thunder, who are 2-0 and finished 64-18 last season. Five players are out, and the earliest estimated return falls after the Warriors game.
Oklahoma City sets the week's standard on Sunday.
The Thunder are 2-0 with a two-game streak, and last season they held opponents to a 106.5 defensive rating. The Clippers allowed 115.2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points in 68 games last season, and Chet Holmgren added 17.1 points and 8.9 rebounds. Oklahoma City lists Otega Oweh, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber as out. Both teams get one day of rest, so neither has a freshness edge. The gap is in the ratings.
Three of the four games are away from Intuit Dome, and the roster stays thin.
After Sunday, the Clippers host the Lakers on October 28, visit Minnesota on October 30 in an Emirates NBA Cup game, and visit the Warriors on November 1. Max Strus, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Brandon Ingram and Bradley Beal are all out, with November 8 the estimated return for each. Jordan Miller's estimate is March 2, 2027. That leaves Tyronn Lue with the same rotation for all four games. Lue has no depth to spend on a bad night.
The Lakers rematch is about fixing one stretch, not a whole game.
The Clippers led by 11 on Friday and lost 125-117. The Lakers broke it open with a 12-0 run in the third quarter, turning 76-77 into 76-89. Darius Garland scored 26 but committed nine turnovers. Brook Lopez scored 22 on 8-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes, which makes his playing time the obvious question. Walker Kessler scored 22 on 10-of-14 shooting for the Lakers.
The standings leave little room for a 0-4 week.
The Clippers are seventh, one game behind sixth-place Minnesota, which is 2-0. Denver is tenth at 0-1, so the Clippers have no cushion below them either. Their current pace projects to 41-41, one win short of last season's 42-40. A split this week would keep them level with that pace. Anything worse would put the November 8 returns under pressure to rescue the early schedule.
When do the Clippers play the Thunder?
The Clippers visit the Thunder on October 25 in Oklahoma City. It is their third game of the season.
Who are the Clippers playing this week?
They face Oklahoma City on October 25, the Lakers at home on October 28, Minnesota on October 30 in an Emirates NBA Cup game, and Golden State on November 1.
