Clippers’ Paul George completes 360 dunk, later injures leg
Paul George #PaulGeorge
Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George injured his right leg in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Photo by Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE
March 22 (UPI) — Paul George completed a spectacular 360-degree dunk, but later sustained a leg injury in the Los Angeles Clippers’ latest loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Los Angeles.
The Clippers guard left the game on a cart after he injured his right leg in the fourth quarter of the 101-100 setback Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
Clippers coach Ty Lue said George would be evaluated Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury and a potential timeline to return.
“I saw it, but it is still be evaluated,” Lue told reporters.
George departed from the game with about five minutes left. George first jumped and caught a rebound at the start of his injury sequence. He then landed, but his right leg bent backwards as he made contact with Thunder guard Luguentz Dortz.
One quarter earlier, George showed he was in fine shape, showing off his athleticism with his acrobatic finish. The Clippers led 73-72 with about 4:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Guard Russell Westbrook tossed a pass to Clippers big man Mason Plumlee. Plumlee then threw a pass to his right, splitting several defenders.
George ran in from the corner, caught the bounce pass and jumped once he stepped into the paint. He then did a full turn before using both hands to slam the ball through the net.
George scored 18 points and logged seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in the loss. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard totaled a team-high 21 points.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander totaled a game-high 31 points in the win. Thunder forward Jalen Williams chipped in 20 points and eight rebounds.
The game featured 10 lead changes and was tied 11 times. The Clippers (38-35) led by as many as 14 points, but made just 19.4% of their 3-point attempts.
They will host the Thunder (36-36) again at 10:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in Los Angeles.