1. The Realities: 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN Sports). Follow the action here. Hedo Turkoglu is out with a hairline fracture in his back. The Thunder are sound.
2. Whereas We Are: The Oklahoma City Thunder are up 3-2 in the series after an unbelievable return that takes the bitter experience of the Game 4 comeback by the Los Angeles Clippers right out of their mouths. The Thunder blew Game 4 in outstanding approach when Chris Paul commenced shielding Kevin Durant, and the Thunder couldn't work out how to take advantage of it. Scott Brooks was under fire. Russell Westbrook was under fire. And after the first three quarters of Game 5, the Thunder anticipated to be screwed. Kevin Durant was just 3-of-17 from the field and resembling he required more headline motive.
Westbrook maintained the Thunder inside striking aloofness and some casual play in the fourth part, conjugated with some unsubstantial officiation that resulted everybody canceling their heads and insuring their rulebooks assisted the Thunder build a fierce return. They stole Game 5 on their own home base and avoided an fantastically worrying assumption. The stress is off them and back on the Clippers because even whenever the Clips win Game 6, they even hold Game 7 in OKC. Let's just be glad Bennett Salvatore and Tony Brothers aren't officiating Game 6. Oh hello, Ed Malloy...
3. The large amount: 21.3. In the two games in Los Angeles in this series, the Clippers have been horrendous from 3-point range. They've made just 21.3 percent of their attempts from long distance and are 4-of-32 (12.5 percent) on above-the-break threes. Matt Barnes (1-of-10), Jamal Crawford (3-of-13), Chris Paul (2-of-10), and J.J. Redick (2-of-7) all need to find some better accuracy from 3-point range or stop taking them and get to the free throw line to get their shot back online. The Thunder aren't a great 3-point shooting team, so getting an advantage at the arc is huge in establishing an early lead.
4. Key Adjustment: Don't turn the ball over at the end of the game? The Clippers don't need to do much differently than what they did in Game 5. For 44 minutes of that game, they were in a very good place in terms of mentality and execution. Even 47:15 into the game, they were in a very good place with how they still held a seven-point lead. They got careless with the ball, which almost never happens to Chris Paul. If they can stick to the same game plan of slowing down Durant and putting the onus on Westbrook while playing solid defense, taking care of the ball will ensure they extend the series to a Game 7.
5. The Big Story: What insanity will happen tonight? We've had two straight games of incredible and improbable comebacks in this series, and that might just be Thunder-induced on some level. They had four straight games against the Grizzlies that went to overtime. As constructed and with Brooks as the coach, maybe they're susceptible to both good and bad moments of chaos like this. It's unlikely Donald Sterling will find a way to be a distraction tonight, so the only chaos we'll see is on the court. We just don't know who will benefit from it quite yet.
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