Paul George heats up for 42 in win over the Clippers
After dropping four very winnable games in a row, Paul George took it upon himself to carry the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first win since Halloween as they took down the Los Angeles Clippers 120-111 on their home court at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Allstar exploded for 42 points and almost earned a triple double as he filled nearly every role imaginable for his squad.
His point total pushed him ahead of his competition, but it was his sustained excellence on the defensive end that helped hold Allstar power forward Blake Griffin to 17 points on 5-19 shooting. Although he leads the league in steals with 2.6 per game, with frustrating losses and a losing record, George’s defense has quietly slipped under the radar.
While George has excelled on his new team, the same cannot be said for reigning MVP Russell Westbrook. The fiery floor general was expected to thrive after the Thunder made moves this summer to acquire George and Carmelo Anthony, but that hasn’t been the case. His shooting numbers have failed to improve, his free-throw attempt percentage and attempts have fallen drastically and he’s turning the ball over at a practically identical rate despite having his ball handling duties cut significantly.
To make matters worse, Anthony has fit in seamlessly with OKC and flourished as a third option, leaving Westbrook as the odd man out in their star studded trio. Westbrook has roughly 70 games to up the ante, and knowing him, he won’t allow himself to fail in a system tailored to bring him success. It’ll take some adjustments, but their franchise cornerstone always seems to rise to the occasion.
Though Westbrook, George and Anthony are a formidable triumvirate to handle, if history has anything to teach us, it’s that it takes more than three to win a title. Rosters are built around stars, but without a supporting case and key role players, a team can only go so far.
Right now, the Thunder’s glue guys are missing in action and underperforming. However, should they step up and report for duty, the rest of the league may have a real problem on their hands.
The Thunder are down, but don’t count them out.
