Paul George was the star of the show for the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 116-108 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday evening. Oklahoma City comfortably covered the four-point spread with the total going well over the pre-game total of 205.
George steals the show
George was incredible in his playoff debut for the Thunder. With all the attention on Russell Westbrook, it was George who really shined. He was unconscious from downtown, going 8-11 from behind the line. George led the team with 36 points on 13-20 shooting on a night he had something to prove after Indiana’s win over Cleveland earlier in the day.
Russell Westbrook leads in other ways
As for Westbrook, Oklahoma City’s leader started off slowly but gained steam as the game went on. He wasn’t able to connect from three, but he was the team’s talisman in other ways. Westbrook nearly had a triple-double on the night, finishing with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in the night.
Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that he is the team’s leader. Westbrook gets criticized for grabbing the ball to much, but the team feeds off of him and he is able to get the break going quickly with the ball in his hands. He assisted on a number of George’s threes.
Utah’s sensational rookie
Utah’s Donovan Mitchell was out to prove that he should be named the Rookie of the Year. He looked sharp in leading the Jazz, going 11-22 from the floor to lead the team with 27 points. The moment did not look too big for the rookie from Louisville, who led Utah over the latter half of the season.
What’s next
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz will square off again on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. The Thunder are currently one-point favorites according to the oddsmakers at BetDSI.
