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Andrew LopezESPN
NEW ORLEANS -- Paul George finished with 33 points and nine rebounds in his first game of the 2019-20 NBA season ... his first in a LA Clippers uniform.
A pretty good start to the season, right?
"I thought I was terrible," George said following a 132-127 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. "I got a lot to get back to just from my performance on defense. Just for the flow of the game. I just haven't had the time. Getting a feel for the speed. This was essentially my first preseason game. It's a lot to take from this, and take it into the next one."
George had his highest point total of a season opener in his career, and the third-highest point total for someone making their Clippers' debut. But there was more to his first game back than just scoring. He started off hot from the field, with 10 points in the first quarter, but also picked up four fouls in the first half and received his fifth in the third quarter.
"It was tough," George said. "It put in perspective coming back to the same league with foul trouble."
But when George wasn't dealing with fouls, he was torching the Pelicans' defense. He had 14 points in the first half, and put up 12 alone in the third quarter, as the Clippers' held a 97-96 lead.
In the fourth quarter, though, the Pelicans stuck Jrue Holiday on George, and struggles ensued. Against Holiday, George was just 1-of-2 with three turnovers according to ESPN Stats & Information. In fact, all three of George's turnovers came in "Clutch Time," when the game is within five points or less in the final five minutes.
"We had the chance to win tonight -- and a couple of bad possessions in a row on my behalf down the stretch -- and we lose," George said. "That's what I gauge good games, bad games on."
Coach Doc Rivers had other ideas regarding George's night.
"It was sensational," Rivers said. "We played him about the minutes we'd like. I thought the fouls killed us a little bit. It hurt our rotations. But he was really good."
Rivers admitted he didn't think George would be as efficient as he was -- George was 10-of-17 from the floor, 3-of-5 from deep and 10-of-10 from the line -- and said he didn't think George saw it coming either. What's more, George said it was the best his shoulders have felt in a long time so he knew he wouldn't have a problem getting his shots off.
"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 player," Rivers said. "He did all three phases of the game offensively. You could clearly see, defensively, he was mixed up in some coverages tonight. And that's just gonna take time."
Clearly, George was being hard on himself, especially on defense. Someone named to four NBA All-Defensive teams -- and who was top four in the last two Defensive Player of the Year ballots -- has higher standards.
"I put, really, all of that on me," George said. "A lot of the breakdowns happened just because of my lack of being out there with those guys, communication. I look forward to watching the film, and learning from that. Again, one game for me and one game for those guys being out there with me. So we'll move forward, we'll learn, and we'll start to get our chemistry together."
According to Second Spectrum, George allowed five uncontested made shots as the closest defender on Thursday, which is tied for his most in a game since player tracking began in 2013-14. Three of the shots were three-pointers.
With the loss, the Clippers fell to 0-3 when Kawhi Leonard rests. Rivers mentioned having to put a lot on Lou Williams' plate with Leonard and Patrick Beverley out, not to mention George potentially a step slow on defense.
"So when you have all three of those guys, offensively, you can take a Jrue Holiday out of the game," Rivers said, "because whoever he's guarding, you can play with the other two."
Pushing past this debut, George remained optimistic about the Clippers long term. He should be able to play with Leonard Saturday when the Clippers host the Atlanta Hawks.
"I'm fully excited for this whole team to come together, play with (Patrick Beverley), with Kawhi," George said. "I'm looking forward to this team being at full strength."
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November 14, 2019 at 08:03PM
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Paul George makes long-awaited Clippers debut, nets 33 in loss - ESPN
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