Preview: Clippers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Clippers have slogged through what they said felt like a very long preseason, eight games of which they only won two.

The regular season has finally arrived.

The Clippers open the season Thursday at Staples Center against Oklahoma City, the team that eliminated them in six games in the second round of the playoffs last year.

The Thunder will be playing without Kevin Durant (foot), Reggie Jackson (wrist), Jeremy Lamb (heel), Anthony Morrow (knee), Mitch McGary (foot) and Grant Jerrett (ankle).

The Clippers have a much shorter injury list -- only Glen “Big Baby” Davis will be out, with a strained groin.

The Clippers, who return their starters and championship-winning coach Doc Rivers, have struggled throughout the preseason with rebounding. Despite having DeAndre Jordan, who led the league in rebounding last season, the Clippers were outrebounded in every preseason game.

Rivers has repeatedly said that the key to the Clippers being real championship contenders this season is improving their presence on the boards. That job, he says, is mainly up to the guards, who must stop opposing guards’ dribble penetration.

During this past week of practice, Rivers said that has been his main focus. It’s a mental task, he explained.

“I thought last year [in]the games we came ready mentally and physically, we were hard to beat,” Rivers said. “The games we didn’t, we won half of them.”

Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. PDT.