3-pointer a welcome sight for George
Evan Fournier was closing hard, but Paul George had a window to shoot.
So as the fourth-quarter clock ticked under a minute Monday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena, George let fly from the right corner with a 3-pointer — the shot he’s been so adept with all season, but which wasn’t falling against Orlando.
It swished, a decisive bucket in the Thunder’s 112-105 win against the Magic and no doubt a welcome sight for George. In three games since the All-Star break, George is 5 for 24 from 3-point range. In the 11 games before that layoff, he’d shot 48 percent from long distance.
Even without the benefit of a big night from the perimeter, George poured in 26 points Monday.
“There’s a part of them that gets refreshed, I think,” Thunder coach Billy
Donovan said of the AllStar break. “But there’s also a part of them that their rhythm and their flow and their routine through 55, 57 games is totally disrupted. And I think it takes a little bit of time to get back into that flow again. I think Paul’s getting great shots, he’s taking great shots. It was encouraging to see him attack and play downhill like he did tonight.”
And the Thunder needed George to get buckets. Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony combined for 17 points on 7-of-27 shooting against the Magic, leaving a scoring load on George’s shoulders.
He was 7 for 13 from inside the 3-point line and made 6 of 7 free throws as the Thunder rallied from an early 11-point deficit. George added eight rebounds and three assists.
George had 11 points in the first half, making 1 of 3 3-pointers.
“I’ll find that groove, I’ll find that shooting stroke,” George said. “The main thing is just continue to be aggressive, continue to approach each game like I did the first half, but take it to another level. Shots will fall. As long as I can keep that mindset to stay in attack mode, shots will fall eventually.”
Vogel’s frank take
From 2011-16, Frank Vogel was the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, charged with the development of George, a rookie in Vogel’s first season and a star by the time the Pacers parted ways with the coach.
Asked Monday how he’s seen George develop as a shooter — he entered the game shooting a careerbest 42.4 percent from 3-point range — Vogel took the credit, with tongue in cheek.
“I think it all starts with the foundation that was laid for him as a young player with the head coach he had,” Vogel said. “He really fixed his form and put him on the right path. That’s the biggest way.” But seriously, folks. Vogel gives much of the credit to the 2014-15 season, when George sat out all but six games. George had broken his right leg in the summer of 2014 playing for USA Basketball.
In his first three seasons, before the injury, George shot 36 percent from 3-point range. He’s shooting 39.4 percent from long range since.
“I actually have said this publicly and one-onone with Paul, that I think the injury has made him a better shooter, because for a year, all he could do was sit in a chair and shoot the basketball or stand still and shoot the basketball,” Vogel said. “And those reps that he had, I think, improved him as a shooter. And that’s shown statistically since his injury.” No penalty for Pachulia
Westbrook was convinced Saturday that the Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia had fallen across his legs intentionally. But the NBA on Monday gave Pachulia no penalty for the play, which happened in the third quarter of Saturday’s 112-80 Thunder loss at Golden State. The Washington Post first reported there would be no penalty for Pachulia.
The league Monday also rescinded a first-half technical foul given to Warriors forward Draymond Green in Saturday’s game. Green has a league-leading 14 technical fouls. Tip-ins
Thunder rookie Terrance Ferguson missed his only 3-point attempt of the night. Ferguson is 6 for 27 from 3-point range at home this season. He’s 21 for 61 on 3-pointers on the road . ... The Magic made 12 3-pointers Monday. That’s the fifth straight Thunder opponent to make at least a dozen.