Anytime the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, there are bound to be mentions of the 2019 trade that sent Paul George to Los Angeles and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Oklahoma.
Despite the trade now being almost five years old, there are still members of the fanbase who will throw up the trade details graphic anytime the Clippers — and George — under-perform.
Paul George led the Clippers to a 128-117 win over the Thunder on Tuesday night, finishing with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals on 15-of-24 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. George scored 10 points in the 3rd quarter and 18 in the fourth period, effectively shutting OKC down.
After the game, George was asked what he thought of the Thunder's complete package.
“No, that wasn't on my mind, but I just think both sides won,” Paul George explained. “My I did think it was quite a lot that Clippers were willing to give up, but their commitment to me is my commitment to them. So just appreciative that they went out and grabbed me and brought me over here. Very appreciative of Steve [Ballmer]. But both sides won. Shai is, I think initially when that trade happened, no one saw… we knew Shai was going to be really, really good, but he's special. And so I guess in a way, Oklahoma won that trade with picks and a future MVP. So again, great trade for both sides.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also paying off for the Thunder. He dropped 19 in the loss and leads his team in points (31.0), assists (6.3), and steals (2.3) per game this season.
Paul George and the Clippers vs. the Thunder
Paul George did get off to a slow offensive start, scoring just two points in the first quarter as the Thunder defense made life tough on him, at least to start. He'd find his way to the basket and his rhythm on a few jumpers and that's when you knew Paul George was back
“For me, sometimes I need a couple shots,” George added. “Sometimes it just takes a couple shots. It is tough catching a rhythm sometimes for me if it's shots that are very sporadic and come from different times, but if I can get a shot, boom, I might miss get another shot right after, now I'm kind of dialed in and kind of locked into my rhythm. And then from there, it's just being aggressive once I found that rhythm.
“But every player's different. Some guys are efficient from jump, come right out, and knock down the first one in the rhythm right away. But throughout my career, it always takes a couple to kind of ease into a game. And once I see the ball going in, I feel confident, confident, and ultra-aggressive in that moment.”
James Harden finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in the big victory. The Clippers also improved to 18-4 when Harden has at least eight assists in a game,
“We got a number of guys who can do that. Tonight PG did an unbelievable job of staying with it, being aggressive, and taking his shots especially in that fourth quarter. For us, it’s about getting stops. When we get stops we’re liable, we’re capable of lighting it up like that. That’s a very good team over there.”
The LA Clippers will have a rare mini-break here with four days off before their next game on Sunday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets.
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