George comes through in first big opportunity

The moment called for Paul George to stay the course when the game hung in the balance, for the forward to shake off a turnover when the score was tied and for him to forget about his foul that led to the Clippers trailing an Oklahoma City Thunder team that was fighting to the end.

The moment proved not to be too big for George.

He delivered a game-breaking three-point basket with 25.9 seconds left to give the Clippers a lead they never lost in a 90-88 victory over his former team.

“I’m confident in whatever shot I take, whether I make or miss,” George said late Monday night in Staples Center after playing in his third game of the season after sitting out the first 11 recovering from surgery on both shoulders.

“It’s part of the game, and I don’t care if I haven’t made one. There was a big thing about, ‘He can’t make it to win the games.’ That stuff doesn’t bother me.”

George, whose free throw with 0.3 seconds left sealed the game, finished with 18 points on seven-for-14 shooting, making three of seven three-point shots. He had seven rebounds and four assists.

George turned the ball over seven times, though, the big one coming with the scored tied 86-86 in the fourth quarter.

A few seconds later, George fouled Chris Paul, the former Clippers point guard who made both free throws for a two-point Thunder lead.

“It’s tough, because again, I’m still getting used to this fast pace, this style,” George said. “And again, I haven’t had practice time. So a lot of this pressure and on-ball stuff I’m still working on using my dribble, timing my dribble, using my steps, my footwork.”

Though he spent only two seasons with the Thunder before being traded to the Clippers to pair up with Kawhi Leonard, George relished the moment to face Oklahoma City.

“It was fun,” George said. “Again, it’s any other game. But it was fun just to see familiar faces, share some laughs and just have good competition.”

Thibodeau is spending time with the Clippers

Former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau has been a presence around the Clippers in recent days, with coach Doc Rivers calling his former assistant in Boston “a guy who just sits back and listens and if he hears something that he wants to add in, he does.”

Said Rivers: “During practices he doesn’t say anything, he just waits and then after practice, we’ll talk and he’ll tell me what he saw. It’s great to have around.”

Throughout his coaching career, Rivers has made a habit of seeking insight from out-of-work coaches with whom he is close, from Flip Saunders in Boston to Tyronn Lue last season.

Lue assisted Rivers with the Clippers before winning a championship with Cleveland in 2016, but after his firing by the Cavaliers in 2018, Lue became a sounding board for Rivers. He joined the Clippers as an assistant in August.

Thibodeau has attended each of the team’s last two shoot-arounds and coaches’ meetings.

“He’s sat in a couple of ‘load management’ meetings, which I thought it would be good for him to hear all the lingo and the talk,” Rivers said. “He loved it.”

TONIGHT

VS. BOSTON When: 7 On the air: TV: Prime Ticket, ESPN; Radio: 570 Update: Boston won 10 games in a row before losing Sunday in Sacramento, but beat Phoenix on Monday. The Celtics rank among the league’s top six teams in offense and defense rating, and no team commits fewer turnovers (12.4 per game). Kemba Walker averages a team-leading 23.4 points, Jayson Tatum 20.2 and Jaylen Brown 19.5.

Staff writer Andrew Greif contributed to this report.