Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did their best to blow with the Big Three of the Brooklyn Nets.
But during the 124-120 Nets victory over the visiting LA Clippers in a game that predicted the preseason, the Clippers star duo could not keep up with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, especially not in the fault line. Brooklyn’s star trio came off the line along with 16-for-16.
Leonard was 8-for-9 on the streak, but George went to the line just once in 36 minutes.
“I mean, I think it was disrespectful that I had one free throw attempt today,” said George, who had 26 points and six assists. “I’ll leave it at that.”
The Clippers went on the line only 17 times compared to the Nets’ 26 trips.
George’s only free throw attempt was when he ran under the basket with 6 minutes against former teammate Landry Shamet and was left with 58 minutes left. George almost had to start contact before shaking off the smaller Shamet to get the whistle. His three-point game put the Clippers ahead 102-97 with 6:58 left.
But in a game with five perennial All-Stars on the floor, George feels he is not receiving respect from the service team.
“The amount of plays I started or made contact with,” George argues. ‘And to be sent to the line [one] time … “
The Nets bounced back from their 149-146 defeat to the Washington Wizards by surpassing a Clippers team that has won ten of its previous 11 games. Irving has already scored 39 points, Durant has 28 points and nine rebounds and Harden has a triple-double double of 23 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds.
“Like I said the night before, I took that person to protect no one,” Irving said as he lost to the Wizards, who scored 41 points from Russell Westbrook and 37 from Bradley Beal.
Leonard scored 33 points with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
While George could not get to the line, he and the Clippers discovered in a span of 2 st minutes how explosive the Nets’ super trio are.
Durant hits a 7-footer. Irving scored eight straight points. Harden then drilled a setback 3 to complete a 13-0 blitz.
To the question the Clippers learned from defending the Nets’ three tries that could help them in the long run, Nic Batum immediately responded.
“One thing is for sure: that we will miss Pat Bev tonight,” Batum said of the injured Patrick Beverley, who did not have a knee injury. ‘We forget about that man a lot, I think. It’s going to be big for us tonight, so Pat Bev, please come back. ‘