Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made sure the Los Angeles Clippers had short memories in Game five of their Western Conference first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday (NZ time).
After blowing a 21-point lead and losing on an overtime buzzer-beater in Game four, the Clippers responded early and often behind George and Leonard, setting franchise playoff records for most points, three-pointers and shooting percentage in a 154-111 win.
George bounced back from three straight sub-par performances against Dallas to score 35 points, and Leonard finished with 32 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers, who took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic finished with 22 points and eight rebounds. He had 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists and hit the game-winner in overtime for the Mavericks in Game four.
In the other Western Conference match-up of the day, Jamal Murray had 42 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Nikola Jokic had 31 points, as the Denver Nuggets stayed alive with a 117-107 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game five of their first round series.
Murray scored 33 in the second half alone, while Michael Porter Jr. had 15 points in the game and Jerami Grant added 13 to help the Nuggets rally. Denver now trails 3-2 in the series.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, while Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson had 17 each and Rudy Gobert 11 points and 12 rebounds.
