The Thunder faced the Pacers on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City for their first of two meetings this season. It was the first chance for former Pacers star Paul George to square off with his former team, as well as lesser reunions from Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis with the Thunder.
Oklahoma City cruised to a 114-96 victory, which came as little surprise, but what was how poorly Paul George played. Foul trouble limited George to playing 19 minutes before getting his sixth foul and having to exit the game, and he only managed 10 points and one rebound in his brief time on the court.
Luckily for George, his two star teammates picked him up with Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook both scoring 28 points, with the latter notching his second triple-double of the season. After the game, Anthony caught up with the crew over at NBA TV and made fun of George’s “no-show” performance against his former squad.
Fouling out against your former team is not what Melo had in mind, PG. 😂 pic.twitter.com/laJbmohBpN
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 26, 2017
“It was a great win for us,” Anthony said. “I’m glad we went and got this one for PG, even though he was a no-show today. He fouled out. [laughs].”
It’s a fantastic quote, and it shows how comfortable that entire trio is together that he’d joke about George’s off night like that. Anthony himself has already had the same experience as George, going up against his old team the Knicks and he did have a much better game with 22 points.
As for George, this is why he is so happy to be in a place like Oklahoma City with other stars who can pick him up on a night where he struggles mightily. For so long in Indiana the Pacers went as George did and it was clear he, like so many stars in this league, recognized the need for some help. He got that on Wednesday, although I’m sure he won’t want to repeat this performance when he returns to Indianapolis for the first time.
