2016 Orlando Summer League game 2: Thunder beat Clippers 81-72, Cameron Payne, OKC defense leads the way

box score | Clips Nation

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on day 2 of the Orlando Summer League with a score of 81-72. Behind a stout defense and effective free throw shooting, OKC was able to pull of the strong win despite shooting only 36.4% from the floor and 30% from 3-point range.

Cameron Payne, OKC's 2nd year point guard, once again led the way scoring with 25 points, which included 14-14 from the free throw line. Despite only hitting 5-16 shots from the floor, Payne was much more aggressive in getting into the lane in order to draw contact and fouls. Furthermore, his pick and roll play with Mitch McGary was much more intentional than in game 1. Payne consistently set up McGary off of screens and on the move, and as a result McGary finished with an impressive stat line of 18 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Once again, McGary was the player who created the majority of scoring opportunities, including setting up shooters on the wings and Dakari Johnson in the paint. Johnson finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds (5 offensive), showing much better patience and control than in game 1.

The Thunder defense was a much stronger asset in game 2, as the defensive chatter worked non-stop to continuously shift the defense into strong position to avoid easy baskets. As a result, a close game mid-way through the 4th quarter turned into a dominant win as OKC refused to give the Clippers any opportunity for easy baskets to keep the game within reach.

Game 3 is scheduled for Monday, July 4th, at 4PM CDT.