ORLANDO, Fla. _ The NBA has gone to great lengths during the restart of its season to make players forget _ if even for a moment _ that they are playing inside empty gymnasiums. Music thumps during most possessions. Fans watching from home are digitally stitched onto videoboards ringing the court.
But every so often, during breaks in play, the gyms turn stone silent. That was the case Saturday afternoon, with 4:04 remaining in the third quarter inside HP Field House on the Disney World property. The Clippers led New Orleans by 36 points and Paul George, whose eight 3-pointers were responsible for much of the dominance, was heading to the bench.
As he approached, his teammates rose from their assigned seats for a standing ovation. And because of the quiet around them, their claps rang throughout the building.
George's 28 points led the Clippers' 126-103 rout of the Pelicans and helped his team rebound from Thursday's narrow loss to the Lakers in their opener of the NBA restart.
