Ferguson contains George in return
Before setting up for tipoff, Paul George slapped hands with Terrance Ferguson, and the two embraced at half court.
The greeting was much simpler than the pregame handshake they developed when they were teammates – a routine that included
running in place, bumping shoulders and a snippet from a popular dance. But times had changed. Ferguson's job Sunday night was to make George's life difficult.
The Clippers were on the second night of a back-toback in Oklahoma City, so naturally Kawhi Leonard (injury management) didn't play. So, limiting L.A.'s other superstar, George, became a focal point. In the Thunder's 118-112 win over the Clippers Sunday, Ferguson was the man for the job. George scored 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
“Terrance is probably, in my opinion, one of the best defenders around,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said.
George had been a mentor on Ferguson' s road to becoming a reliable defensive stopper. George helped hone Ferguson's decision-making as he navigated around screens, and George witnessed the huge improvement Ferguson made from his rookie year to his second year.
Before requesting a trade to the Clippers this summer, George said in his last interview as a Thunder player that he wanted to see another jump from Ferguson before Year 3.
“He's always been a feisty defender ,” George said Sunday after the game. He's always been putting his body on everybody, putting his body through plays.”
George got to experience that firsthand Sunday.
Ferguson took a bruising chasing George around screens in the first quarter. George found shots, whether Ferguson went over or under the pick. But the Clippers star still shot under 50 percent (3-of-7) from the field in that period.
In the second quarter, Ferguson got a little extra help in the form of guard Dennis Schroder switching onto Paul. But Ferguson was still the primary defender, picking Paul up early, leaning on him even when he wasn't handling the ball, working to tire him out.
With 3:49 left in the first half, Ferguson did just that as the Clipper inbounded the ball. Ferguson and George's arms inter locked and unlocked as they battled for the upper hand. George got enough separation to catch the inbounds pass and then turned to face Ferguson.
George tried to fool him with crossover, but Ferguson didn' t bud ge. Eventually George pulled up for a step-back jumper. His shot bounced off the rim and landed on the top of the backboard. Thunder ball.
On the next play, OKC guard Sh ai Gil geo us-Alexander – one of the players the Thunder got from the Clippers in the Paul George trade – drained a 3-pointer. That five-point swing cut the Clippers lead to five points with a little over two minutes left in the half.
But about three minutes into the third quarter, Ferguson picked up his fourth foul. Soon after, he subbed out.
That gave other players, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chris Paul, a turn guarding George. The Clippers forward shot just 1-of-5 from the field in the third quarter.
When George checked back in three and a half minutes into the fourth, Donovan summoned Ferguson from the bench.
“He comes in there and plays hard, man,” Thunder center Steven Adams said of Ferguson. “Plays hard. Constantly sprints back on time, tries to do the right thing. He might not even get a shot for a very long time. But he's just so professional, mate, and just stays locked in to his task. Phenomenal, mate. Him specifically in terms of like culture building, all that good stuff bro, he's like the front runner in that aspect."
After Donovan's tide-turning coaches challenge, and some late-game heroics from Dennis Schroder, who scored 16 points in the final period alone, the Thunder claimed the win. Ferguson and George exchanged another moment next to the Thunder bench. But it still wasn't quite the same.