Thunder forward Paul George will not play in the regular-season finale Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks due to right shoulder soreness. George had been listed as questionable to play against the Bucks with the injury. He did warm up prior to the start of the game but the team opted to rule him out. Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said before the game on Wednesday that George aggravated his right shoulder on Tuesday night in a win against the Houston Rockets. Paul George will go through a warmup and see how he feels. He aggravated his right shoulder last night, Billy Donovan says. — Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) April 10, 2019 The Thunder can clinch the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a win against the Bucks on Wednesday as Oklahoma City looks to finish out the season with a five-game winning streak. With the playoffs set to begin in just a few days, the Thunder likely wanted to rest George in the contest to get him as healthy as possible for the team’s first round series. While George will not play in the contest, the Bucks are expected to sit Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez due to load management with the No. 1 seed locked up in the Eastern Conference. The Thunder are favorites to win in the contest.<doc-sep>Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George will miss Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Maddie Lee reported the news, noting George re-aggravated his right shoulder soreness during Tuesday's win against the Houston Rockets. The 28-year-old averaged 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game this season. His excellent 2018-19 performance has prompted MVP talk from numerous sources, and he was also named an All-Star starter. Expect guard Dennis Schroder to take his place in the starting lineup. Through 78 games, the 25-year-old is pitching in 15.3 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting. While he isn't a proficient three-point shooter, Schroder can score points in bunches, like when he dropped 32 in 28 minutes against the Golden State Warriors on November 21. However, no one on the roster can replicate George's excellent defense. The Thunder should take a hit on that end, although other players (such as center Steven Adams) have helped Oklahoma City become the NBA's fifth-most efficient defensive team, per ESPN.com. On offense, Russell Westbrook will shoulder more of the scoring load, while Schroder and Adams will be asked to do the same. Starting power forward Jerami Grant may see an uptick in usage as well.<doc-sep>The Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to claim the sixth seed in the Western Conference on Wednesday with a win against the Milwaukee Bucks. The team will be locked in to try to make it happen. Just two months ago, the Thunder seemed destined for a top-three seed in the playoffs. After some inconsistent play since that time, the Thunder are just hoping to avoid falling below sixth place. After winning four straight games, the Thunder can clinch sixth place in the conference with a win against the Bucks. In that scenario, OKC would avoid seeing the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The final standings are far from being set as the Thunder could still end up anywhere from sixth to eighth. While some teams are electing to rest players ahead of the postseason, Paul George says the Thunder are looking to finish the season strong, with a win. All in. Last game of the year. We’re playing well. We picked up another big win tonight. All in going into tomorrow. We gotta finish the season off. It’s on us regardless of what they do over there – who’s playing, who’s in or out. It’s about our approach and that approach starts now. Paul George on tomorrow’s game against Milwaukee (a win kicks in the 6-seed): “All in. Last game of the season.” pic.twitter.com/JF3NDdpd1W — Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 10, 2019 The Thunder can still end up in sixth place with a loss on Wednesday. The Bucks are expected to rest Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez during the game so OKC figures to have a good chance to win. While multiple players on the Thunder have stated the team is not concerned with playoff seeding, a win on Wednesday will assure the team does not face the Warriors to open the playoffs. That alone should be plenty to play for …<doc-sep>
Paul George will not be playing in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s tilt against the Milwaukee Bucks. According to Brett Dawson of The Athletic, George has been listed as inactive. Earlier reports said that the All-Star forward is dealing with a sore right shoulder. Paul George is out tonight. Listed as inactive, per the Thunder. — Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) April 10, 2019 The Thunder lead both the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers by one game for the sixth spot in the Western Conference, but they could fall to the seventh spot with a loss and a Spurs win on Wednesday night. Nevertheless, Paul George will not be playing after he re-aggravated a shoulder injury that first hampered him six weeks ago. Still, the star forward helped lead Oklahoma City to a crucial 112-111 win over the Houston Rockets, scoring 27 points and hitting the game-winning shot. Although George is sitting out, Thunder head coach Billy Donovan iterated to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman that his inactive status was more of a precaution: “He was doing great,” Donovan said before George was ruled out for the night. “He was healthy, there was no minutes restriction on him or anything else like that. Obviously it’s got to be his decision. he knows how he feels and what he can do.” Although the MVP buzz surrounding George has quieted in part due to recent nagging injuries as well as the continued excellence of James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, he has had the best season of his career. George will finish the 2018-19 season with a career high in points (28.0), rebounds (8.2) and steals (2.2), and is a likely candidate to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. His excellence in a three-month stretch from December to February was one of the more impressive showings from any individual this season.