The Oklahoma City Thunder clipped the Indiana Pacers 100-95 in Paul George’s first game against his former team, and he’s relieved it’s over.
After the game, per Royce Young of ESPN, George said he’s glad the return to Indiana is in the past.
“I’m glad the circus is over with. Now everybody can move on. I understood what the environment was going to be coming into tonight. My teammates did a great job of helping me battle this one tonight.”
George anticipated a negative reaction from the crowd, and he received exactly that during introductions with a smattering of boos. However, the All-Star forward silenced Pacers fans with a game-sealing sequence.
As the clock ticked below 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, OKC held a slim 98-95 advantage. The ball skipped away from Thaddeus Young, who jumped out-of-bounds trying to save it. His desperation pass landed in George’s arms, and he hit two clutch free throws and hushed the crowd.
For George, it was an ideal end to a frustrating night at his former arena. He managed 12 points on just 3-of-14 shooting.
The Thunder swept the season series with Indiana, so George won’t meet the Pacers until the 2018-19 campaign. The big unknown, however, is whether he’ll be wearing an OKC uniform or something else.