Thunder's George stifled by Warriors' D, goes 1-for-14 in blowout loss
The Golden State Warriors put a target on Paul George's back Saturday at Oracle Arena, and turned one of the top two-way players in the Association into a complete nonfactor.
Nothing came easy for George on offense, connecting on just one of his 14 shot attempts in 32 minutes of action as the Oklahoma City Thunder got blown out by the reigning NBA champions 112-80. He finished with five points, five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals.
The Warriors were relentless on the defensive end, consistently challenging George on the perimeter and forcing him to take ugly shots. Even on the rare occasions he found himself around the rim, George had no answer for Golden State's length, resulting in more misses.
George is one of just eight players since 2013 to take 14 or more shots in a regular season or playoff game and only convert just one. Saturday was also the second time in his career that he's been this cold, as he had the same line as a member of the Indiana Pacers in a game against the San Antonio Spurs in 2015.
| Date | Player | Team | FGM-A | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/09/2013 | Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers | 1-of-15 | 4 |
| 11/20/2013 | Gordon Hayward | Utah Jazz | 1-of-17 | 6 |
| 11/14/2014 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 1-of-14 | 9 |
| 11/24/2015 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | 1-of-14 | 4 |
| 12/21/2015 | Paul George | Indiana Pacers | 1-of-14 | 7 |
| 02/02/2016 | Jrue Holiday | New Orleans Pelicans | 1-of-14 | 4 |
| 11/09/2016 | Sergio Rodriguez | Philadelphia 76ers | 1-of-14 | 2 |
| 11/22/2017 | C.J. McCollum | Portland Trail Blazers | 1-of-14 | 5 |
| 02/02/2018 | Tim Hardaway Jr. | New York Knicks | 1-of-14 | 6 |
| 02/24/2018 | Paul George | Oklahoma City Thunder | 1-of-14 | 5 |
(courtesy: Basketball-Reference.com)
It wasn't until the 7:52 mark of the third quarter that the five-time All-Star finally saw the ball fall through the mesh, sinking a 3-pointer at the top of the arc in Durant's eye.
His frustrations boiled over in the fourth quarter when he was whistled for a technical foul, meaning George finished with as many field goals as he did technicals on the night.