The LA Clippers star guard said a technical foul turned his aggression up in the middle of the second quarter. He took his anger out on the team.
The Clippers defeated the Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday, thanks to 40 points from George and six assists from him.
George let the officials know that the Kings had their hands on him when he was called for a technical in the second quarter.
George said of his scoring being fueled even more by the lack of foul calls and technical fouls that he knew he had to be aggressive from the jump. It was just after being angry that it happened. It made my aggressiveness increase.
The Clippers rested Leonard and Wall in the first game of a back-to-back set and George scored 36 of his points in the final 31 minutes.
The Clippers coach wanted to see this from George. George said earlier this month that Leonard was the clear No. 1 option on the team and that he was the second option. George set a tone of sacrifice for the team, according to Lue.
He had a talk with George before the start of the season to make sure he wasn't taking a backseat.
"I don't think he has to change his role when Leonard is playing or when Leonard isn't playing," said Lue. He needs to be aggressive. It is one-and-one. The two guys have to perform at a high level in order for us to win.
I had a conversation with someone. You need to be aggressive because he is a great player. You need to be aggressive.
George said he understood what Lue was trying to say to him.
George said it was easy to talk to. I pride myself on being that guy that loves doing everything. I enjoy being that glue guy, whatever the team needs me to do, I'll do it.
"If I'm the No. 2, I'm fine being the No. 2." I'm aware of what I can do. I know I can be a top option on nights and possessions. I am very confident in my abilities. It doesn't mean anything to me if I'm the No. 2 guy, the No. 1 guy, or the No. 1B. I'm going to do my job, no matter what.
George said he was motivated by his performance against the Lakers. In a 103-97 win over the Lakers on Thursday, George shot just 4-for-12 and had 15 points, 10 rebound and five turnovers.
He had four points and three assists in the first quarter, but his scoring began to come to life in the second quarter. He scored 15 points in the last 7 minutes of the first half, but was whistled for a technical foul after he argued that he was being unfairly treated.
George said that the players held on to him. I was trying to convince you that their hands are on me and I was trying to get their attention.
George scored 11 points in the third and 10 in the fourth to hold off the Kings. George scored twice in the final two minutes to push the lead back up to nine.
"Kawhi is going to be a process," Lue said he told George of Leonard's return after missing all of last season. He is going to be out for a while before he returns to the Kawhi.
I thoughtGeorge was great. The person did a great job.
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