Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George had zero go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of the 4th quarter or overtime in his career entering this season.
He now has four such shots.
George knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner on a pass from Russell Westbrook to give the Thunder a one-point lead with just 1.8 seconds left. A last-second shot by James Harden on the other end of the floor fell short, sealing the 112-111 win.
The Thunder finished off the game on a 27-12 run to pull out the come-from-behind win. They entered the fourth quarter trailing the Rockets by 13 points and eventually trailed by as many as 14 points.
With the Rockets up by one point, Westbrook fouled Harden with just 9.7 seconds left. Harden sank the first free throw but missed the second one before Westbrook found George ready in the corner.
Westbrook led the Thunder with 29 points, including 13 points alone in the fourth quarter, while George finished with 27 points and Terrance Ferguson added 16 points.
The comeback by the Thunder was aided in large part by a strong defensive showing in the fourth quarter.
The Thunder limited the Rockets to just 18 points in the period on 5-of-18 shooting from the field. Harden entered the final period with 34 points but scored just five points and was held without a made field goal over the final 12 minutes of the game.
George entered the season 0-of-14 in his career on potential go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. He has hit game-winners this season against the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz and, now, the Rockets.
Prior to the game, the Thunder still had an opportunity to claim the fifth seed in the Western Conference. In order to do so, they had to win their two remaining games while the Utah Jazz had to lose their final two games. On Tuesday, the Jazz defeated the Denver Nuggets, ending the Thunder’s chances at the fifth seed.
But, a win by the Thunder on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks will assure the team finishes no worse than sixth place, avoiding a first-round matchup with the Warriors or Nuggets.
The game on Wednesday is set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT.
