LOS ANGELES — This time, they were short-handed by design.
It was the Clippers’ regular-season finale, against an opponent in Oklahoma City with more incentives to improve their draft lottery odds than their win total. It was their second game in as many nights. It came, most importantly, just 48 hours before a playoff berth would be on the line with Tuesday’s play-in tournament matchup in Minnesota.
It was why, then, there were nearly as many Clippers in off-court clothes as uniform on the sideline, as Norman Powell and starters Paul George, Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. rested up during the 138-88 rout of the Thunder ahead of Tuesday’s opportunity to grab the West’s seventh seed and secure a first-round series.
