Paul George was unable to play in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s final game of the regular season because of a shoulder injury, and it sounds like the ailment is one that could stick with him through at least a portion of the playoffs.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Friday that George is “day to day” ahead of Sunday’s opening-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers. George later told reporters he expects to play, but he admitted he may be less than 100 percent healthy.
Paul George said the pain in his right shoulder was too much to try and play through against Milwaukee, but says “as much as I can get it 100 as possible or close to it, you can expect me out there Sunday.” pic.twitter.com/5wHNiC7CyR
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 12, 2019
George had an outstanding season in his second year with the Thunder, as he set or tied career-highs in almost every major category with 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. It goes without saying that Oklahoma City would be in big trouble without him, but it would be a shock if George didn’t play through the shoulder issue. Whether or not it will limit him is the bigger concern for the Thunder.
The matchup between Oklahoma City and Portland should be one of the more intriguing ones to watch with some of the bad blood between the two teams, and George’s injury is yet another storyline to keep an eye on.
