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Clippers need more from Blake Griffin against physical Thunder

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The Clippers’ second-round series against the Thunder is still in its infancy, tied up 1-1 after a pair in Oklahoma City.

Through two games, Blake Griffin has seen his numbers dip against the Thunder, compared to his performance against the Golden State Warriors.

In the first round, Griffin averaged 23.3 points while shooting 52.8% from the field.

Against the Thunder, Griffin’s scoring is down four points to 19.0 -- and he’s making only 41.4% of his shots.

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The Clippers had an easy Game 1, led by a monster performance from Chris Paul (32 points and 10 assists in 28 minutes). But the Thunder bounced back Wednesday night to win by 11.

Defensively in both games, the Thunder has made a concerted effort to slow Griffin, using a combination of players, including Serge Ibaka and rookie Steven Adams.

Adams, in particularly, seemed to get under Griffin’s skin a bit in Game 2, with his aggressive, physical play.

Going back to the first round, Griffin also struggled in his first game of the series against the Warriors -- and at times in later games against the smaller Draymond Green.

It’s too early to say Oklahoma City’s game plan will stifle Griffin throughout the series, but Griffin and his teammates clearly face significant competition.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

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