Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George likely isn't going to be ready to go Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Asked after Saturday's defeat to the San Antonio Spurs, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan stated that his “guess” was that his squad would be down George for the third consecutive game due to a shoulder injury:
Billy Donovan said he hasn’t been notified definitively, but “my guess” is Paul George won’t play Sunday, he said.
— Michael C. Wright (@mikecwright) March 3, 2019
The injury comes at an inopportune time for a Thunder team that is battling for a top seed in the Western Conference, currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak and tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 3 seed.
For Paul George in particular, the injury stagnates the MVP pace he was on. Having opened the second half with a 45-point outing against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 22, George then went on to shoot 11-for-43 from the field over his next two contests combined, leading to him taking to the sidelines.
In his place, the Thunder have tried to get creative with their rotations, but have been unable to replicate the scoring efficiency that George has produced during what has been a career year. In addition to leading the league in steals per game (2.3), George is also on pace to set new career highs in points (28.6), rebounds (8.1) and assists (4.3) per contest, all while averaging 3.9 made triples on a nightly basis, the third-highest mark in the league.
Should he sit again Sunday, his next chance to return to the fold comes Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who knocked off the Thunder by two points in both prior meetings this season.
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