The Toronto Raptors sent the Oklahoma City Thunder to a fourth straight loss on Wednesday night as Pascal Siakam scored 33 points and Kawhi Leonard added 22 in the 123-114 win in overtime.
The Thunder rallied down from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime but fell short in extra time after scoring just four points with Paul George sitting due to foul trouble.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 42 points while George recorded 19 points in the loss and was tasked with guarding Leonard for much of the night.
While George limited Leonard to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field as his primary defender, one video clip of Leonard backing down George is making its rounds on social media.
George matched up on Leonard on one play, in particular, during the second quarter. Leonard baited George into trying for the steal before hitting the fadeaway over George.
His reaction says it all:
Of course, George is an elite defender in the NBA and limited Leonard throughout the night but Leonard won that battle against George on that particular play.
On the other side of the ball, Leonard matched up on George for 42 possessions. George scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field with Leonard as his primary defender.
The two teams will meet once again Friday night in Toronto so Leonard and George figure to have another tough task guarding each other.
