George lights up Heat for 43 on 10 treys as Thunder roll

[February 02, 2019]    Paul George scored a game-high 43 points, Russell Westbrook posted his 18th triple-double, and the Oklahoma City Thunder continued their offensive surge in a 118-102 rout of the host Miami Heat on Friday.

Thunder forward Paul George (13) shoots over Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson (0) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

George (26 points) and reserve guard Dennis Schroder (24) combined for 50 in the first two quarters as the Heat allowed their second-most points in a half, narrowly outscoring the sharp-shooting duo by just three.

George connected on a career-high 10 3-pointers, and Schroder scored 28 in 29 minutes off the bench for the Thunder, who won their seventh consecutive overall and sixth straight against Miami.

Westbrook notched 14 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds in his fifth triple-double in a row, and Steven Adams had 13 points.

Miami's Kelly Olynyk tallied 21 points and Josh Richardson had 18. Hassan Whiteside had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat, who lost their second straight overall and have dropped four of the last six.

Oklahoma City averaged a franchise-record 120.6 points per game in January and the offensive juggernaut was on full display from the opening tip in the first meeting between the two teams.

In a fast-paced first quarter, the Thunder raced out on a 12-2 run less than five minutes into the game behind the versatile scoring of George and Adams as the club led 18-11.

The Thunder led 31-24 behind 16 points from George as the six-time All-Star made 6 of 8 field goals, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Schroder came off the bench to replace Westbrook in the second quarter and immediately became as big of a nuisance to the Heat as George. The backup scored seven points as the Thunder built a 17-point lead by scoring 12 unanswered points early in the quarter.

Schroder followed up George's 16-point first quarter with 24 of his own in the second -- his career high for any single period -- as Oklahoma City shot 58.3 percent from the floor, led by as many as 23 and held a 72-53 halftime edge.

Miami cut the deficit to 15 early in the second half after a layup by Whiteside, but Patrick Patterson's 3-pointer gave the Thunder a 94-74 lead after three, and they cruised in the final quarter with reserves on the floor.

--Field Level Media

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.