After being sidelined with shoulder surgeries, Paul George has finally made his debut for the Los Angeles Clippers.
George dropped 33 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers in their 132-127 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Thursday night. He looked like the George we are all used to as he shot 10-of-17 from the field in 24 minutes.
“He was sensational,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
“We played him about the minutes we liked … He was great. We ran some good stuff for him. What I like about him, just from one day of coaching him, he’s not only a catch-and-shoot guy, he’s a dribble guy, he’s also a post flair. He did all three phases of the game offensively. You could literally see defensively, he was mixed up in some coverages tonight. That’s just going to take time,” Rivers explained further.
Paul George returns from shoulder surgeries
George went through a pair of minor shoulder surgeries in the summer. He had his his right rotator cuff and left labrum repaired which caused him to miss the Clippers’ first 11 games this season.
The six-time All-Star averaged career highs of 28 points, 8.2 rebounds and led the league with 2.2 steals per game last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although George returned to practice on Saturday, he didn’t have much time to actually practice their offense himself ahead of Thursday’s matchup.
New Orleans mounted a 14-point lead while leading for most of the first half, and looked in complete control. The Clippers slowly pulled close in the third quarter, and took a few brief leads early in the fourth but New Orleans put together a quick 10-1 run late in the final quarter.
Clippers fall to the Pelicans 132-127
George's return to the lineup wasn’t enough to push the Clippers past the Pelicans.New Orleans mounted a 14-point lead while leading for most of the first half, and looked in complete control. The Clippers slowly pulled close in the third quarter, and took a few brief leads early in the fourth but New Orleans put together a quick 10-1 run late in the final quarter.
Lou Williams finished with 31 points and eight assists while Rodney McGruder added 20 points off the bench. Montrezl Harrell added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard did not play Thursday night He sat out the back end of the Clippers’ back-to-back games after dropping 26 points and 12 rebounds in their loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
Jrue Holiday led New Orleans with 36 points and seven assists while Frank Jackson added 23 points off the bench. Pelicans center Derrick Favors had a double-double performance with 20 points with 20 rebounds.
What other adjustments does Paul George have to make in the next games? Tell us what you think about PG-13's debut with the Clippers.
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