(REUTERS) - Paul George's three-pointer with 25.9 seconds remaining was the difference, and the Los Angeles Clippers held off the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder for a 90-88 victory in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Monday (Nov 18) night.
Montrezl Harrell had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers. George, who scored 70 total points in his previous two games, finished with 18 points and seven rebounds against his former club. Los Angeles centre Ivica Zubac added 12 points and 10 rebounds while Lou Williams chipped in 11 points and nine assists.
Chris Paul scored 22 points and recorded four steals, and Danilo Gallinari had 14 points for the Thunder. However, Gallinari missed a potential game-winning shot near the end. Dennis Schroder scored 12 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 11 for Oklahoma City.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed his third consecutive game owing to a left knee contusion.
In another game, Luka Doncic poured in a career-high 42 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and recorded 12 assists to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 117-110 win over the visiting San Antonio Spurs for their second straight victory.
The triple-double was his league-leading sixth of the season.
Dorian Finney-Smith had 22 points for Dallas, Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Jalen Brunson scored 11 points in the win.
It was the first time the Mavericks scored 110 or more points against San Antonio since January 2010.
DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 36 points for the reeling Spurs, who lost their sixth straight game. They had not lost that many in a row since the 2010-11 season, when dropping six straight in March and April. The Spurs went on to finish that regular season with 61 wins.
Elsewhere, James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined 64 points as hosts Houston won the battle of the backcourts, thumping Portland 132-108.
While Harden scored 23 of his 36 points in the first half, Westbrook came alive in the second half with 15 of his 28. Westbrook added 13 rebounds and 10 assists overall as Houston extended their winning streak to eight games.
The Rockets were bolstered by the return of centre Clint Capela (22 points, 20 rebounds) from concussion and Danuel House Jr (11 points) from a sore back.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Trail Blazers' high-scoring guard tandem, totalled 38 points on 14-of-34 shooting. McCollum had 25 points while Lillard had 13, shooting just 4 of 15 overall and 1 of 6 from three-point range.
The meeting between Clippers and Thunder was their first since completing a blockbuster trade in July, when the former acquired George for Gallinari, Gilgeous-Alexander and several draft picks.
Paul spent six seasons with the Clippers from 2011-17, but played the past two seasons with the Houston Rockets.
Gallinari's three-pointer tied the score at 86 apiece with 52.5 seconds remaining. Two free throws by Paul gave Oklahoma City a two-point lead with 31.3 seconds left before George delivered the game-winner.
Gallinari was initially ruled to have been fouled with 7.3 seconds remaining, but the call was overturned by the officials after the Clippers challenged it.
He then failed to convert a jumper near the top of the key with four seconds left. George, who grabbed the rebound, subsequently hit a free throw for the final point.
Both clubs struggled on offence, with the Clippers shooting 40.2 per cent to 37.3 per cent for the Thunder. Los Angeles made just 27.8 per cent of their three-point tries compared to 25.9 per cent for Oklahoma City.
A 12-5 surge to end the third lifted the Clippers to a 66-64 lead. Oklahoma City were hurt by nine turnovers to four for Los Angeles in the quarter.
The Thunder led 47-42 at the break behind Paul's 13 points. The visitors outscored the Clippers 30-19 in the second quarter.
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, who sat out the previous two games with a sore left calf, returned and scored nine points, all on 3-pointers.
Oklahoma City fell to 0-5 on the road while the Clippers improved to 8-1 at home.
