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The Trail Blazers benefited from strong performances from Damian Lillard, Enes Kanter, and CJ McCollum in their Game 1 victory over the Thunder on Sunday. The series opener also featured a subpar outing from Oklahoma City forward Paul George. After the game, George spoke with the media about how his injured shoulder has complicated his preparation process.
According to George, he was unable to lift his shoulder in the lead up to Game 1 (via ESPN’s Royce Young).
Paul George says a couple days ago he couldn't even "lift his shoulder" and today was the first time he'd shot a ball since the Rockets game.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 14, 2019
George went on to explain that he isn’t dealing with any physical limitations, but it has impacted his rhythm.
Issues tied to soreness in his right shoulder prevented him from participating in the Thunder’s regular season finale against the Bucks. George’s shooting percentages dipped significantly after the All-Star break. In 21 games after the break, he registered a three-point percentage of 33.6. That is a noticeable drop off from his 40.6 percent rate through the first 56 games of the year.
In Sunday’s loss, George went 4-15 from beyond the arc and finished with 26 points.