Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Clippers' young core looked impressive against last year's surprise team, Oklahoma City, as Eric Gordon led the way with 27 points in an emphatic 107-92 decision over the Thunder.
The outcome gave Vinny Del Negro his first win as Clippers head coach after an 0-4 start. Blake Griffin chipped in 18 points and nine rebounds and fellow rookie Eric Bledsoe scored 17 points and dished out eight assists.
Los Angeles held the Thunder to 37.8 percent shooting and a 4-of-26 showing from behind the arc. Kevin Durant was held in check, missing all 10 of his three-point attempts en route to a pedestrian 16-point night.
Jeff Green had a team-high 19 points to go with nine boards for Oklahoma City, which dropped a 120-99 decision against Utah on Sunday.
The Thunder started slow in that loss and again came out sluggish against the Clippers, trailing 53-43 at halftime.
The hosts continued to clamp down defensively, and three-pointers from Bledsoe and Gordon with eight minutes left resulted in a 63-48 game. The lead expanded to 73-52 on a Ryan Gomes make from long range 3 1/2 minutes later.
The Clippers made just one field goal the rest of the third quarter, but Griffin's three-point play in the final minute had them on top, 80-66, with 12 minutes remaining.
The Thunder surprisingly never made a run in the fourth, as LA's 9-2 run to start the frame, capped by consecutive Gordon buckets, made it 89-68. The rout was on from there.
LA scored the final six points of the first quarter, with Rasual Butler putting in back-to-back layups for a 27-21 cushion.
Al-Farouq Aminu's three-pointer four minutes into the second pushed the margin to 36-23, and the halftime margin remained double digits.
Game Notes
The Clippers won despite point guard Baron Davis missing a second straight game with a sore left knee...Gomes ended with 12 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers, who shot 52.5 percent from the field and 8-of-16 from three- point range...Russell Westbrook had 16 points and six assists for the Thunder, who got 14 points from Serge Ibaka...The Clippers had lost three straight home games to the Thunder.