Paul George drops season-high 38 points to lead Clippers past Thunder

Paul George dropped aseason-high 38 points as the Los Angeles Clippers raced past theOklahoma City Thunder, 128-117, and inched closer to the top of theWestern Conference standings.

The 33-year-old George wasclutch in the fourth quarter, catching fire to seal the game against theThunder. He put up 18 points in the fourth quarteralone.

"I know what I'm capable of. Iknow what I can do in this league..." George said. "Honestly, I'mjust committed to winning and that's it."

The 6-foot-8 forward’s hugefourth quarter was capped off by a scintillating sequence thatcause the Los Angeles crowd to erupt. He drained a three over LuDort and shimmied his way back on defense. The next possession,George stole the ball from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and ran thelength of the floor for a thunderous reverse jam, sending theCrypto.com Arena into a frenzy.

OMG PAUL GEORGE!!! WHAT A SEQUENCE!!!pic.twitter.com/TxCnAivMUB

Gilgeous-Alexander, who willalways be linked to George since he was the centerpiece of the dealbetween the Clippers and Thunder in 2019, struggled with just 19points on 6-of-16 from the field. A top-five MVP candidate thisseason, SGA faced tough defense all game long from All-NBAdefenders George and Kawhi Leonard, who hounded him on drives tothe rim and the perimeter.

Leonard added 16 points for theClippers, while James Harden and Mason Plumlee combined for 30.Plumlee will take on a bigger role, as the Clippers will be withoutstarting center Ivica Zubac in the coming weeks due toinjury.

For the Thunder, Jalen Williamscontinued his stellar season with 25 points on an ultra-efficient10-of-14 from the field, 7 assists and 3 rebounds. Meanwhile, Dorthad 19 points with 5 made threes.

The win allowed the Clippers(26-14) to inch closer to the Thunder (27-13) in the West, as thetwo teams are now separated by just a game.