LA Clippers: No rust from Lou Williams, Paul George in scrimmage

The LA Clippers looked great in their first scrimmage against the Orlando Magic, particularly from performances by Lou Williams and Paul George.

The LA Clippers kicked off the NBA’s restart with a scrimmage against the Orlando Magic Wednesday afternoon. With Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley exiting the bubble due to family matters this past week, along with Landry Shamet and Ivica Zubac absent, the Clippers needed someone else to pick up that slack. Thankfully, Lou Williams and Paul George did just that, showing no signs of rust despite the layoff.

Lou Williams stole the show and led the way for Los Angeles with 22 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range. The guard also collected three rebounds and two assists to conclude his impressive showing. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner looked like he had not missed a beat after a nearly four-month hiatus as he put on a fantastic presentation in his return to action.

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Paul George followed with a welcoming performance himself as he poured in 18 points, shooting 6-for-13 from the field, including 4-for-8 from 3-point territory. The forward added five rebounds and three assists to his total in 19 minutes as he too looked fantastic after the lengthy layoff.

After speculation surrounding George’s health regarding his rehabilitation from two shoulder surgeries this past offseason, the forward put any talk of that to rest with his strong performance. The hiatus worked in George’s favor as it gave him extra time to heal from his surgery, and it undoubtedly showed with Wednesday’s showing against the Orlando Magic.

Aside from Williams and George, the rest of the team looked great for the most part as well. Joakim Noah brought some intensity to the starting lineup and proved to be a productive addition with four points, five rebounds, and three assists. Recent additions Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson contributed nine points each, showing slight signs of rust, but still productive. Kawhi Leonard looked slightly off, as he totaled a mere 9 points on 3-for-8 field goal shooting in 19 minutes.

Still, when the final buzzer sounded, the LA Clippers took home the 99-90 victory with some stellar performances from Lou Williams and Paul George. Although it was merely a scrimmage, Clippers’ fans have to be excited after what they saw today, and not just because basketball is finally back.

With two more scrimmages scheduled before the Clippers kick off the actual restart, the rest of the team can hopefully get into sync. Although they are currently missing several key pieces, that is nothing new for this team. Even without their roster intact, they showed this season that they are among the best teams in the league.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for the Clippers in their final two scrimmages, as follows:

"@ Washington Wizards – July 25, 8:00 p.m. ET, HP Field Housevs. Sacramento Kings – July 27, 4:00 p.m. ET, The Arena"

NBA basketball is back in action, and although they are just one scrimmage in the books, the LA Clippers can only get better from here as they chase their first-ever title.