The Clippers beat the Rockets thanks to Paul George’s game-winning jumper.
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LOS ANGELES — With the Los Angeles Clippers on the verge of another devastating loss to a lottery-bound club, Paul George delivered a big Halloween performance complete with a game-winning shot to stun the Houston Rockets.
George produced 35 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals in the final 40 seconds to lift the Clippers to a 95-93 victory at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.
According to ESPN Stats & Information analysis, only James Harden (March 15, 2019) has matched Paul George’s stats from Monday’s game over the past 25 seasons. And the Clippers (3-4) needed every bit of George’s strong line to defeat the Rockets (1-7) and end a four-game losing streak.
“I take full responsibility for us and our record right now,” said Paul George, who also had two blocks. “Regardless of who is in the lineup, who’s not, I am more than capable of going out and performing and willing our team to wins. So I took a lot of on the chin for myself for the way we have been playing and for the start that we have had so far.”
With Kawhi Leonard (right knee stiffness) missing for the fourth straight game and expected to miss the Clippers’ next two games against Houston and San Antonio, George was staring at another crushing defeat. The Clippers were defeated twice in Oklahoma City last week and had averaged just 97.5 points in their previous four losses, losing by 17, 14, 8, and 21 points, respectively.
After the Clippers’ 112-91 loss to New Orleans on Sunday, several veterans said they were outplayed, didn’t play with enough intensity and effort, and were playing with little joy. According to Marcus Morris Sr. , the Clippers simply showed up expecting to win given the talent on their roster.
“It was a lot of weight to it, the style we were losing,” George said of the losing streak. “And no disrespect to any of the teams we’ve been playing, but we’re not playing the heavyweights right now. And the way we were losing these games, it was embarrassing to be honest.”
With 1:27 remaining, George hit a cutting Ivica Zubac off a pick-and-roll for a slam. With 40.2 seconds remaining, he buried a 26-foot pull-up 3 to tie the game.
On the other end, George forced Eric Gordon into a crucial mistake for one of his six steals before shooting a 15-foot turnaround over Gordon on the right side for the lead.
George claimed that assistant head coach Dan Craig, who oversees the Clippers’ defence, challenged him to be the best defensive player on the court at the start and conclusion of the game.
“After yesterday’s [loss to New Orleans], there was a lot of talk about being more urgent,” George said. “I got a personal challenge … first six minutes, last six minutes — I have to be the best player on the defensive end.”
Under championship aspirations, the Clippers have struggled to start the season. Leonard has appeared in only two games and logged limited minutes off the bench after returning from a season-ending ACL tear in his right knee. John Wall, who was pulled out of Monday’s game because it was the second of a back-to-back, has been limited in minutes as he recovers from missing all of last season. Other veterans have come in and out of the lineup as well.
The Clippers play the Rockets again on Wednesday in Houston. And they might need another big game from George, who scored 40 points, six rebounds, and six assists in their second game of the season against Sacramento.
“Hell yeah,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said when asked if this is the George he needs nightly. “Right now while we’re struggling, we need everything, everybody, every point. But tonight was huge. … We need him to play at that kinda level.”