Oklahoma City @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 8, 2019 ) Oklahoma City 110, L.A. Clippers 118

Los Angeles Clippers fans are still waiting to see Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on the floor together, but the team is pretty good with one or the other carrying the load. George will play his third game since returning from shoulder surgery when the Clippers host his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Monday.

George, who signed a four-year, $137 million deal with the Thunder prior to the 2018-19 season before asking for a trade to Los Angeles over the summer to partner with Leonard, averaged 35 points in his first two games despite playing fewer than 25 minutes in each contest. "I mean, honestly, for a guy to miss ... what was it, 200 days in a row he's missed?" Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters of George. "And the two games he's played, his efficiency is incredible. There's more than just his scoring, which is a lot, but it's his passing and his ability to play through contact has been unbelievable. He's taking advantage of our offense like he's been playing the offense for five years." Los Angeles sent forward Danilo Gallinari and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder along with three first-round picks and the right to swap two others, and the two players are providing solid production. Gallinari scored a team-high 28 points in a 128-119 win over Philadelphia on Friday while Gilgeous-Alexander leads the team in scoring (20.4 points).

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma, FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE THUNDER (5-7): Another former Clipper, point guard Chris Paul, scored a season-high 27 points in Friday's overtime win and feels like his new team is coming together after a rough stretch that included a 111-85 setback at Indiana on Tuesday. "We did a great job, we're showing a lot of fight," Paul told reporters. "I think the coaches did a great job challenging us the way we got bullied against the Pacers, so I think we showed what we're capable of. Hopefully we can get to the point where we don't have to get knocked down to get back up." Paul is averaging 16.3 points and 5.4 assists while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (8-5): Leonard sat out the last two games with a knee contusion but could return Monday to make his debut with George, who set an NBA record by scoring 37 points in 20 minutes in Saturday's 150-101 victory over Atlanta - the most points ever in fewer than 21 minutes. The 49-point margin marked the largest win in Los Angeles franchise history as George and sixth man Lou Williams combined to go 26-of-26 from the free-throw line. Clippers reserve shooting guard Jerome Robinson chipped in a career-high 21 points in 33 minutes off the bench on Saturday as the team snapped a two-game slide.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Clippers PG Patrick Beverley (calf) sat out the last two games and is questionable for Monday.

2. Thunder SG Hamidou Diallo (knee) sat out Friday and is day-to-day.

3. The home team took the last five in the series.

PREDICTION: Clippers 125, Thunder 113