Rasual Butler's 3-pointer in the final minute of the first quarter put the Clippers ahead 25-23 and they didn't relinquish the lead for the rest of the half. Los Angeles twice built its lead to 10 points and was up 49-41 at halftime.

The Clippers led 54-41 a minute into the second half and 58-46 after Thornton's dunk a little more than a minute after that, but Oklahoma City went on a 15-2 run, highlighted by seven points from Westbrook, to go up 61-60. The Thunder led 76-75 entering the fourth quarter but never could stretch their lead beyond three points.

Thornton scored 20 points for Los Angeles, which shot 48.1 percent from the field against a team that ranked fifth in the NBA in scoring defense.

"This was a bad loss for us but we're going to learn from it," Durant said.

Notes

Rookie Blake Griffin, the former Oklahoma star drafted No. 1 overall by the Clippers, didn't make the trip Oklahoma City for Los Angeles' only trip to his hometown this season. Griffin is undergoing treatment for a broken kneecap. ... Thunder reserve guard Shaun Livingston was on the inactive list for the second straight game because of what Brooks called a left knee contusion.