Paul George’s 41 points lit up the court, powered by his impressive display from beyond the arc with eight 3-pointers. This stellar performance ignited the Los Angeles Clippers, driving them to a commanding 130-118 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.
George’s 41 Points Sink Hornets in an Exciting Finish
United in the strong defense by the power forward and double figures Ivica Zubac who managed to create the unexpected double-double with 24 points and 24 rebounds and the never ending reliable Kawhi Leonard who contributed 23 points, the Claws shone on the offensive side with the scoring of 57.3 %. There comes Noron Powel who scored 16 points into the competition and Russell Westbrook who added up 11, leaving no doubt about the dominant group on the court.
The Lakers now seem to be more focused on lifting their game and it is in glaring indication of their earlier small four-game winning streak from Jan 31 to Feb 5.
While on the other hand, the Hornets got the lead early on behind the pacesetting of Miles Bridges with a great 33-points performance, followed closely by Brandon Miller with 22 of the points. Irrespective of all efforts, the Hornets managed another defeat and the number of their losses is about to reach astronomical heights with 7 losses against 1 win in the last eight games. Although Grant Williams and Davis Bertans were quite remarkable off the bench adding 18 and 15 points individually, sadly, the Hornets were not able to utilize their talent to make their losing run stop and get a positive result in the coming games.
George’s fantastic shooting dominance, making 14 out of 21 from the floor, 8 out of 12 from the arc, and all 5 from the charity stripe, without a doubt supports his obtaining the nickname of scoring monster. Surpassing his last game highest of 38 points, George proved to be a phenomenom on the court and sealed the fate of the game by shooting round free throws in the last few minutes of the game.
Although the point displayed on James Harden’s offensive board (6 points) were not really much, he spread his stand as an facilitator on the game’s scene, providing the Clippers the rhythm they needed to achieve a win.
Regardless of the fact that the Hornets achieved an admirable 50 percent shooting percentage from the floor, the persistent offense the Los Angeles Clippers displayed, and scoring defense, were so robust, that the Charlotte could not even make a sizable comeback. The Hornets fought back to reduce the margin to 111-105, but the Clippers fired a confined and emphatic response in order to kill any hopes of a stunning comeback.
While on free throw line, the Clippers displayed their masterness finishing the night 30-of-34 with Zubac went 10-for-10 and proved himself to be a perfect driver of the team. Unlike Witchers, the Hornets however had difficulty converting shots at the free throw line with only a makes of 7-of-11 attempts.
The beginning of the first half was not easy for the Clippers. They played their worst basketball. However, the equation changed as the first half began to progress. The Clippers gradually asserted their dominance and established a commanding 67-55 halftime lead. This set the stage for their eventual triumph.
The Clippers have made progress in their last seven outings after gaining five wins, among those they managed to win an impressive number of 25-14. This seems like a way of preparing their entering into a crucial phase of the playoffs as the latter loom large.
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