George bounces back from shooting slump
WASHINGTON, D.C. — By the time Paul
George scored his first points against the Wizards on Friday, the Thunder was an avalanche going down Capitol Hill.
George decided to pile on. After hitting his first 3-pointer in six days — George put up an 0-of-10 Thursday in Charlotte — he added two more to close a merciless end to the second quarter against the Wizards on Friday.
Less than 24 hours before the Thunder’s 134-111 win against the Wizards, George revealed to the media he’d been battling Peroneal Nerve Palsy, a nerve issue in his left foot, since preseason.
“It’s about the same,” George said of how his foot felt compared to Thursday night’s win against the Hornets.
It didn’t seem to affect George’s defense in the two-game road sweep out East.
“He’s such an elite defender sometimes you can’t (tell),” Thunder coach said. “But I think there’s times where he wishes he could push off a little better and move a little better, more to the extreme he’s capable of doing.”
George wouldn’t have brought the nerve condition up if his shooting was going unaffected. It wasn’t after a sluggish start Friday, as those three 3-pointers in a row carried him to 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
Donovan said he wasn’t worried about George after he played 39 minutes against Charlotte on Thursday. The Thunder’s dominance against the Wizards on Friday meant George only had to play 29 minutes. He gets two days to rest before facing New Orleans on Monday.
Abrines vs. Ferguson
It’s time to change the narrative on Alex Abrines.
His shooting ability has never been in question, but third-year Thunder guard entered Friday’s game against the Wizards with sound defensive metrics, too. Aside from nagging injuries throughout his career, the biggest knock on him has been his defense. Yet, this season, Abrines is second on the Thunder in points allowed per 100 possessions (96.9) among qualified players.
So why isn’t he starting over Terrance Ferguson?
“I like him coming off the bench and giving us some offense,” Donovan said. “I think getting Terrance out there defensively to establish a defensive mindset is important. And then once the game starts, you can see how it’s going and you can go from there.”
Ferguson was only 1-of-14 from 3-point range entering Friday but had his best performance of the season — nine points, including 3-of-5 from 3.
Abrines scored eight points, cooling off from his 25-point performance against the Hornets on Thursday, but the Thunder was a team-high plus27 with him in the game Friday.
“I’m really happy because lately I’ve been having more than five 3’s a game,” Abrines said. “The team’s looking for me and they showed they have confidence in me.”
Adams watch
Steven Adams was one of five Thunder players to score double digits (15 points), but Adams is battling nagging issues with calf tightness this season.
When Adams goes back to the tunnel during games, it’s typically been to ride a stationary bike in order to keep loose. During Friday’s game, between battling with Washington’s Dwight Howard, Adams was getting treatment on both calves from trainer Mike Davis.
Adams has already missed one game this season with left calf soreness. It’s something to monitor with the Thunder’s defensive anchor.
Tip-ins
Jerami Grant hit his first two 3-point attempts on his way to a season-high in points (22). The Thunder shot over 80 percent from the free throw line for the first time this season.