The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 101-100 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday, reaching a winning percentage of .500 and rising to the seventh in the Western Conference.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) shot 12-for-25 from the field to drop game-high 31 points for the Thunder after overcoming the challenges presented by the opponents' defenders in the first half.

The Clippers were well-prepared for containing one of the sharpest slashers in today's NBA. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, two of the top wing defenders of the league, often closed out to guard SGA at the 3-point line. Sometimes he exploited teammates' screens to attack the opponents' defensive weakness, but at the moment he slowed down, either George or Leonard would try to cut his ball from blind side.

As a result, though SGA shot 50 percent in field goals (FGs) to get 11 points and four assists in the first half on Tuesday night, he also committed four turnovers and earned only three free throws. The Clippers tried to attack him by capitalizing on the Thunder's defensive intention of switching as well. 1.98-meter-tall often found him self guarding 2.13-meter-tall Ivica Zubac. He was called three personal fouls in the first two quarters.

SGA's response to the Clippers' defense was to avoid stopping with the ball in low block and charged the rim in a more determined way when he saw the route for penetration. He made five of his shots under the hoop and three jumpers in the middle range to score 20 points in the second half.

The Thunder's victory also came from their smart defense. The team is outsized by the Clippers in the front court. Neither have they been well-known for their rim protection. That explained why the Clippers had 60 points in the paint where they made 30 of their 44 attempts. Zubac, Mason Plumlee, Russell Westbrook and George all had their own way next to the Thunder's rim.

Part of the reason behind the Clippers' easy game in the paint was the Thunder's concentration on closing out to guard their 3-point shooting. The Clippers have the league's fifth-best 3-point rate (37.7 percent) this season but missed 25 of their 31 triples on Tuesday.

Another part of the reason was the Thunder's well-designed defense on Leonard. He was the only Clipper who made more than one 3-pointer in the game but shot 2-for-8 in his sweet spots around the free throw line. Defenders worked hard to stay in front of Leonard after he entered the 3-point line. They always kept their arms upright to deflect his shooting without committing a foul. If Leonard tried to go deeper or received the ball in the low block, another defender would immediately come to trap him.

Of course, the Thunder were not rigid with their game plan, especially when the result of the competition could be decided on one play. The team missed their final hot in the fourth quarter, leaving the Clippers nearly 24 seconds to attack. They trailed 101-100 and Leonard dribbled all the way to the frontcourt. Westbrook and Marcus Morris both tried to set screens for Leonard, who also attempted to power his way through Luguentz Dort, but Dort kept him outside the 3-point line like a steel door before he had to take a desperate shot and missed it.

The Clippers lost George to a likely serious right leg injury on Tuesday night. He grabbed a defensive rebound in the fourth quarter and when he landed, George collided with Dort in the right knee. He crumpled immediately to the floor and had to return to the locker room with the help of others. He left the arena on a cart with his right leg extended. The Clippers didn't give any update on his status.

Other games on Tuesday (away teams come first):

Detroit Pistons 107-129 Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young scored a double-double of 30 points and 12 assists for the Hawks to win at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday. Though he missed 12 of his 19 FGs, he went the free throw line 15 times and got 13 points there. His team dominated the board with 61 rebounds, including 21 on the offensive glass.

The Pistons had a close game in the first, second and fourth quarters with the Hawks, but fell into an offensive slump in the third period, in which they went 6-for-22 from the field. Having suffered a 33-19 rally in this quarter, the team never managed to bounce back on Tuesday night.

San Antonio Spurs 84-119 New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans matched the Los Angeles Lakers at 35-37 after pocketing a big win at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday. Brandon Ingram made 10 of his 16 FG attempts and all 10 free throws to drop 32 points and seven assists for the Pelicans. Jonas Valanciunas contributed a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds.

With 10 games to go, the Pelicans are looking at a schedule that is no less difficult than the Lakers'. They are currently 12th in the West, half a game behind the 10th-ranking Utah Jazz and the play-in tournament area and 1.5 games behind the sixth-ranking Golden State Warriors and the position that can enter the playoffs directly.

Boston Celtics 132-109 Sacramento Kings

The Celtics trailed by two points (32-30) after the first quarter, but outscored the Kings 112-76 in the following three periods at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to get 63 points for the Celtics. Derrick White made no smaller contributions than either of them with a double-double of 20 points and 11 assists while draining five triples as well.

The Kings could match the Celtics in 3-point shooting in Tuesday's game, but they were kept out of the opponents' paint, where their 28 attempts equaled the Celtics' makes. The team didn't have anyone reach 20 points. Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double of 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, but he only got seven points after the first quarter.

Washington Wizards 112-122 Orlando Magic

Cleveland Cavaliers 115-109 Brooklyn Nets