Tag: Paul George

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George finally played together for the Clippers. The NBA should be very, very afraid.

Uh-oh.

It’s the NBA reunion — actually, just a union — we’ve all been waiting for.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard played a Los Angeles Clippers game together. And you know what? They didn’t play that well, but it didn’t matter.

The Clips walked away with an overtime victory over the Boston Celtics … which means the rest of the NBA should be very, very afraid.

George and Leonard shot a combined 15-of-38 from the field and 10 turnovers. There was also this lowlight for George, known for his defensive prowess:

Yet they beat a really talented Celtics squad, thanks in part to Patrick Beverley, who played lock-down D, snagged a team-high 16 rebounds, hit four from deep and gave us one Oscar-worthy flop:

Leonard made his biggest play of the night with a game-saving block:

No wonder Doc Rivers deemed it, per USA TODAY Sports, “an ugly win, but it was beautiful.”

The takeaway should be that once George and Leonard figure out how to truly play together — and there’s SO much time for that — this team is going to be so annoying to play. The starting five (Leonard, George, Beverley, Mo Harkless and Ivica Zubac) is a nightmarish mix of lengthy defender, and then you have to worry about Lou Williams coming off the bench. By the time April rolls around, George and Leonard will figure out how to communicate on the defensive end, find their spots on the offensive end and rest enough to be fresh for the postseason.

Once they get it right and get healthy, it’s all over for the rest of the league.

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The Celtics-Clippers game lived up to the hype (and more) with OT-thriller ending

The Clippers were at full strength with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the court, and took in the Celtics in a game that went to overtime. See all the highlights.

It’s fun when a hyped-up game comes out and exceeds expectations.

The Boston Celtics traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Wednesday night, who finally had their full-look roster with Paul George returning from injury and Kawhi Leonard on the court.

The Clippers looked good. The Celtics also looked good! It went to overtime, a deserved result as for the entire game it felt like neither team could pull away. This wasn’t a game of big runs. They just traded baskets and stops all night.

The game went to overtime after Jayson Tatum went and broke George’s ankles and drained a huge three to tie the game late, but the Clippers went on a nice run in OT and were able to hang on and win 107-104, thanks in part to a fantastic last-second block from Leonard.

If you had to ask: No, Leonard didn’t celebrate at all, because he’s Kawhi Leonard.

It was a bit of a wonky game because it’s clear that George and Leonard are still figuring things out. It’s wild to say that, considering George finished with 25-5-8 and Leonard finished with 17-6-3, but Leonard especially was a little more deferential than we usually see him. It was also a bit wonky in that the Celtics’ Kemba Walker had an uncharacteristic off night, finishing with 13 points on 4 of 17 shooting.

Tatum had 30 though, and backup point guard Brad Wanamaker came hot off the bench and got 14 points.

Potential finals matchup? Maybe. Sure. We’d do that.

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Kawhi Leonard had the most Kawhi Leonard reaction to his game-sealing block at the buzzer

Kawhi Leonard didn’t seem all that impressed by Kawhi Leonard.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics played a great November NBA game Wednesday night that was ultimately won in overtime by the Clippers, 107-104, who were playing with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the lineup together for the first time this season.

The Clippers stormed back in the final minutes of regulation to take the lead but a 3-pointer by Jayson Tatum tied things up and then a missed 3-pointer by Leonard at the buzzer sent the game to overtime.

The Celtics had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer in OT but Leonard flew through the air to block Kemba Walker’s 3-point attempt:

Did you see his reaction to that block?

One. Clap.

LOL:

That’s so Kawhi it’s perfect.

Fans had reactions to it:

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Watch the Los Angeles Clippers Live Online.

Tonight for the first time this season Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will suit up and play together. This is what fans have been waiting for and should be an entertaining game, to say the least. The Celtics have been cruising along this year and will be a tough test for them on the road.

Watch the Los Angeles Clippers 2019-20 Season

Next game: vs. Boston Celtics, Nov. 20, 10:00 p.m. ET 

Local TV affiliate: Fox Sports West

Streaming option for the season: fuboTV (watch for free)

The Clippers may have landed the best player in the NBA when acquiring Leonard during the offseason. As the reigning Finals MVP, Leonard’s combination of defensive ability and scoring acumen has him consistently talked about as the best all-around player in the league. Combined with the newly acquired Paul George, the Clippers have two stars that can potentially carry them to the promised land.

But the NBA is about depth as much as it is about star power, and the Clippers have that as well. Defending sixth man of the year Lou Williams is still available to give second units around the league nightmares, while players like Montrezl Harrell should see easier opportunities now that defenses have to focus on Leonard and George. Whether this group can get on the same page in time for a postseason run remains to be seen, but this unit could be the most exciting in the history of the Clippers.

Clippers November 2019 Schedule

All Times ET

Mon. Nov. 18 vs. Thunder, 10:30 PM

Wed. Nov. 20 vs. Celtics, 10:00 PM

Fri. Nov. 22 vs. Rockets, 10:30 PM

Sun. Nov 24 vs. Pelicans, 9:00 PM

Tues. Nov. 26 @ Mavericks, 8:30 PM

Wed. Nov. 27 @ Grizzlies, 8:00 PM

Fri. Nov. 29 @ Spurs, 8:30 PM

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Doc Rivers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be a ‘superstar’

The Clippers coach sees big things in the future for the Oklahoma City guard.

Long before Thunder fans got a glimpse of the player that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be, Doc Rivers already knew what he had.

Gilgeous-Alexander had to wait 10 games until earning his first start during his rookie season with the Clippers. From there, he never looked back.

SGA turned in a second-team All-Rookie year, playing in all 82 games while averaging 10.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest. He set the franchise record for points by a rookie in a playoff game with 25 in a Game 4 win over the Warriors in the first round.

That’s what it was so hurt so much for Los Angeles to give him up in the trade for Paul George.

According to The Athletic, Doc Rivers and the Clippers were “heartbroken” when the Thunder asked for SGA to be included in the deal.

“It’s tough because he’s such a great kid,” Rivers said. “It’s the price of doing business in the NBA. It’s a trade you have to do, right? But, you know, as excited as I was when we knew that the whole deal was going through, when Lawrence (Frank) told me that Shai’s name was still in it, you were sad, disappointed. He’s such a good kid. 

Per Jovan Buha, Rivers believes that Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be “a superstar”. Those sentiments are echoed by his former teammate, Lou Williams. 

“I think Shai is gonna be a star,” Williams said. “I’m just happy for him that he’s finally striding. He’s made so many jumps just over the summer working on his game, working on his body. You can see the difference in how he’s played. He’s grown. I’m so happy for him.” 

Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have his best game in a Thunder uniform during his return to Los Angeles Monday. He scored 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting in Oklahoma City’s 90-88 loss to the Clippers.

But his start to the season has been better than most expected. He’s leading the team in scoring at 19.7 points per game while hitting 45.9% of his shots from the floor.

The Thunder believe that with time, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can be a franchise player in the NBA.

Doc Rivers certainly thinks so.

Paul George is back, but the Clippers still aren’t as good as they can be

The Clippers are nowhere near their peak right now.

The Clippers are scary. But it’s not because of what they’ve done to this point. It’s all about what they’re going to do.

Don’t get it twisted — they still look solid right now. At 9-5 as the West’s fourth seed. That isn’t the exact spot you’d expect a team with championship expectations to be in a few weeks into the season, but it’s a fine spot.

Yet, there’s not a single soul around that is actually worried about them and for good reason. They’re not even close to hitting their stride yet. We won’t see that until later this year.

The team the Clippers have trotted out on the court over the first few weeks of the season is not the team we’re going to see when the postseason rolls around. It’s not even the team that they’re going to roll out come January. They’ll get a lot better a lot sooner than you think.

The Clippers haven’t put the pieces together yet

They just got Paul George back and he looks like an MVP candidate through three games. He’s averaging 29.3 points per game and is, somehow, in the 50-50-95 club with his shooting splits. That includes his Staples Center debut with 37 points against the Hawks.

To call his first three games a hot start would be disrespectful to how other-worldly he’s actually been.

Kawhi Leonard is, well….Kawhi Leonard. He has to get healthy but he’s a top 3-or-so player when he is. He’s added new skills to his cyborg programming and is playing a lot of point this season. He isn’t shooting that well yet, but he’s still averaging a career high 26.8 points per game.

Here’s the kicker: Those two have yet to play a SINGLE minute together this season. Since George returned, Leonard has been out with a knee contusion. Before Leonard’s knee became a problem, George was recovering from shoulder surgery.

It’s like they’re playing phone tag but with injuries.

The Clippers haven’t really suffered from their star’s absence

They were already a deep team last season with an offense that centered around the pick and roll magic between Lou Williams and Monztrezl Harrell — literally two of the three best bench players in the NBA.

They added two superstars to the equation this season and have constantly had one on the court. The results have been fairly fruitful. Though they’re fourth in the West, their 6.1 net rating is the 6th best in the league and the 2nd best in the West behind only the Lakers.

Net rating is typically a good indicator for which teams around the leagues are most dominant in their wins and the Clippers’ is only going to get better. George and Leonard are two of the best two-way players in the league right now — especially on the perimeter. Their 103.6 defensive rating, specifically, is going to shrink.

Things should start to look normal for the Clippers soon. Leonard was expected back on Monday, but postponed his return because of his knee soreness. Still, he’ll be back before long.

It’ll take a second for the team to gel once they do get their two stars back on the court together, but once things click the rest of the NBA is going to be on notice.

 

Paul George scores dagger to drop Thunder 90-88

The former Oklahoma City star hit a go-ahead-three with 25 seconds remaining to lift the Clippers over the Thunder on Monday night.

Paul George once again came up big when his team needed him the most. Unfortunately for the Thunder, that team is no longer Oklahoma City.

The former Thunder center drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 25 seconds left in the game to lift the Clippers to a 90-88 victory over OKC late Monday night.

As has been the theme all season, the Thunder was in this one at the end.

A pair of ex-Clippers, Danilo Gallinari and Chris Paul, put Oklahoma City ahead with under a minute to play. Gallinari first made a 3 with 52.5 seconds remaining to tie the game at 86, then Paul hit two free-throws at the 31.5 mark to make it 88-86 OKC.

Then came the shot by George.

Paul told reporters, including Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, after the game he blamed himself for allowing George to take the game-winner.

“If I get through the screen that’s a tougher shot. And you know PG, he makes big shots like that, so that’s on me.”

Paul led the Thunder with 22 points. Three other players were in double-digits; Gallinari scored 14, Dennis Schroder came off the bench to add 12, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 11.

Both Gallinari and Gilgeous-Alexander were welcomed back warmly and received a tribute video from the Clippers.

Oklahoma City doesn’t have any time to dwell on Monday’s loss. Their West Coast road trip continues Monday night as they return to the Staples Center on Tuesday to take on the Lakers.

Clippers to be without star Kawhi Leonard Monday vs. Thunder

The Los Angeles Clippers will miss forward Kawhi Leonard in a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder pay a visit to the star-studded Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, they will be facing them without one of their biggest stars.

While former Thunder star Paul George is scheduled to play for the Clippers, fellow superstar Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out due to a left knee contusion suffered in Wednesday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. Leonard has already missed the previous two games, a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans and a win over the Atlanta Hawks, so this will now be three straight games missed for the Finals MVP.

It is good news for the Thunder that they will now only have to game-plan for George rather than for both superstars.

It’s a homecoming for Thunder second-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who will make his return to L.A. after being the starting point guard on their playoff team in 2019, as well as forward Danilo Gallinari, who also was acquired in the George trade.

Tipoff from Staples Center is set for 9:30 p.m. CST. [lawrence-related id=427426,427420,427416]

Thunder set to face Paul George, Clippers on Monday night

Oklahoma City will face the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time since their blockbuster trade in July.

The Thunder may have won five of their last seven matchups against the Los Angeles Clippers, but this Clippers team isn’t the one of years past.

Stating the obvious: Oklahoma City is facing their former star Paul George for the first time since George asked to be dealt to the Clippers in July. George is coming off surgery on both his shoulders in the off-season and missed the first 11 games of the regular season.

But he scored 37 in the Clippers’ win over Atlanta Saturday, and quite frankly, the Thunder know what they’re up against in Paul George.

George and Kawhi Leonard have yet to take the court together. Leonard has missed the last two games due to a knee contusion, but ESPN referenced a quote Doc Rivers gave the (Los Angeles) Times saying that Leonard will “most likely” play against the Thunder.

Oklahoma City comes into Monday’s matchup off of one of their, if not the, best games of the year, an overtime win over the 76ers in which Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Terrance Ferguson all scored in double-digits.

Oklahoma City’s free-throw shooting, which has been spotty during the best of times and outright atrocious at others, was fantastic. Gallinari and Paul were perfect from the line and as a team, the Thunder made over 85% of their attempts.

Defensively, OKC has been solid. Per the Thunder game notes, “currently holds opponents to the fourth-lowest three-point shooting percentage (31.2 percent), the second-fewest fast break points (10.7), the eighth-fewest second-chance points (12.0) and the ninth-fewest points per game (107.1) among all NBA teams.”

But solid may not be enough against the Clippers. Defensively lapses could be more of an issue than usual for the Thunder, especially if Leonard finds his way back onto the floor on Monday night.

Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. CT.

Rivers calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ‘the greatest kid’ as former Clippers guard returns to L.A. with Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s former coach spoke highly of the former Clippers guard ahead of the team’s matchup against Oklahoma City Monday.

Doc Rivers has nothing but good things to say about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

On Monday, the former Clippers guard returns to Los Angeles to face the organization that traded him away.

Make no mistake, the blockbuster deal that sent Paul George to L.A. for Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a boatload of draft picks, so far seems to be working out for both parties. The Clippers landed both George and Kawhi Leonard (even if the two have yet to share the court) and George has looked dominate after returning from off-season shoulder surgery.

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander is the team’s leading scorer and heir-apparent at point guard.

It took a lot to part with George, and Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told media this week he knew what he was giving up in SGA.

“He’s the greatest kid,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Gilgeous-Alexander this week. “I don’t know if I’ve had a more favorite young player, like, he’s the best. Just still innocent enough, you know, hopefully that stays.”

According to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, those sentiments were echoed by Gilgeous-Alexander’s former teammates as well.

“Everybody loved Shai,” former Clipper and current Hawks guard Tyrone Wallace said. “It was one of those things, I think a lot of fans were kind of upset (that he was traded). And all that type of thing, but I get it’s a business, and that’s how it happens.”

Danilo Gallinari, who has also been a solid addition to the Thunder in the trade for Paul George, played with SGA during his rooking season and, per Lee, has seen tremendous growth in year two.

“It’s been amazing to me being able to see him every day since last year getting better game by game,” Gallinari said, “and all the strides that he made this year is pretty amazing.”

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will take on George and the Clippers Monday night. Tip-off is at 9:30 C.T.