With All-Star guard Russell Westbrook sitting out, the Thunder had little choice but to funnel their offense through their other All-Star, forward Paul George, and though he scored a team-high 20 points he required 27 shots to do it.
The performance against one of the NBA’s most versatile scorers represented a reassuring sign for the Clippers, who entered the season with high expectations for their defense before faltering late in their season-opening loss to Denver.
“We tried to make everything hard on [George],” guard Avery Bradley said after Friday’s108-92 victory. “He's a very good offensive player and my goal was just to make him work every single possession.