DALLAS — Paul George and James Harden each scored 33 points while playing key roles in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers hung on after blowing a 31-point lead to advance to the final day of the first-round series on Sunday. They defeated the Dallas Mavericks 116-111 on that night. At 2-2.
The Clippers won again without Kawhi Leonard, who missed the series opener due to inflammation in his right knee and played in Dallas' second straight win.
The two teams played in the first round of the Western Conference for the third time in the past five seasons, splitting the pair on each other's home courts. Game 5 will be played Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Kyrie Irving scored 40 points for Dallas and made an acrobatic layup with 2:15 left to take a 104-103 lead, the Mavericks' first since midway through the first quarter.
Luka Doncic recorded 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Clippers, achieving his fourth career triple-double in the playoffs.
George scored 26 points in the first half, when Harden's 3-pointer gave the Clippers a 55-24 lead. The high-scoring stars made 11 of 16 from long range, and LA went 18 of 29 overall.
After Irving's go-ahead layup, George hit the first basket of the second half, a fadeaway 3 from the corner. Irving missed a layup, Harden made a 3-point play and the 10-time All-Star scored 15 points in the fourth.
The Clippers made eight 3-3s in the first quarter, tying a franchise playoff record, and George made three of them, scoring 16 points, the highest in a playoff first quarter, to tie the Mavericks and lead 39-16. was built.
Shortly after Doncic was called for a technical foul on a miss from long range, putting Dallas up 0-11, Harden hit a three to extend Los Angeles' lead to 55-24.
Irving hit the next two threes for Dallas, and a rally ensued. He scored 16 points in the second quarter and continued that in the third, ending the second quarter with 26 points after a scoreless start. Dallas entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead.
