Kawhi Leonard and Paul George threw the Los Angeles Clippers behind their backs to beat the Mavericks 118-108 in Dallas despite Luka Doncic’s 44 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists.
A loss for the Clippers would have made the series 3-0 in favor of the Mavericks and put the Los Angeles project on the precipice.
In front of some 17,000 fervent fans at the American Airlines Arena, Dallas came out strong to get the tie back on track and Doncic soon began his recital scoring 11 of his team’s first 14 points, including three triples.
The Clippers were against the wall, 19 points behind, but Leonard and George conspired to avoid a near-final loss.
Leonard added 36 points and 8 rebounds and George another 29 and 7 while, on the other side, Doncic barely had the expected help from his teammates, especially Kristaps Porzingis, who stayed at 9 points.
“We had no choice but to fall back, stay strong and together. We are still 2-1 down and we have to keep fighting, “declared Paul. (GG) (AFP)