Watch: Lu Dort stops both Clipper stars, seals win for Thunder

That was an impressive stop for Oklahoma City's All-Defensive candidate, who has made a habit of locking down other teams' top scorers. He scored only seven points, but Leonard only scored 21.

"Good night shooting or bad night shooting," Dort told reporters. "My defense is always going to be there."

Of course, he was able to focus on Leonard thanks to accidentally knocking the Clippers' other superstar out of the game. Dort fouled George as he grabbed a rebound, and the contact sent George's knee bending scarily backward.

It's somewhat of a freak injury for George, but also an effect of Dort's rock-solid build. There's no give to his defensive game, but also no give to his massive quads.

Now the Thunder are just a game-and-a-half behind the Clippers. With George out for two to three weeks, there's a real chance that four years after getting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of picks for George in 2019, the Thunder will finish ahead of his Clippers in 2023.

If the Thunder do beat out the Clippers, it may be worth a lottery pick to them. L.A. likely didn't anticipate this when it acquired Leonard and George four years ago, but since the Thunder have a pick swap, the Clippers could be sending OKC a lottery pick for the second straight season.