Kawhi Leonard delivers in clutch as LA Clippers force Game 7 against Dallas Mavericks

Kawhi Leonard handled Friday night time like a Sport 7 and it confirmed, from wanting to protect Luka Doncic to matching his playoff career-high with 45 factors.

With the LA Clippers’ season and title hopes on the road, Leonard delivered arguably his best all-around efficiency as a Clipper to assist L.A. beat the Dallas Mavericks 104-97 for its third straight sequence victory at American Airways Heart in Sport 6 earlier than an introduced crowd of 18,234.

“It’s simply based mostly on the mentality,” Leonard mentioned. “Positively, you don’t need to go residence.”

Not together with final season’s bubble video games, this was the primary time in NBA playoff historical past that the street crew has received the primary six video games of a sequence, in response to information from ESPN Stats & Data.

In one in every of his greatest playoff performances, Leonard made 18-of-25 photographs and scored 12 of his 45 factors within the fourth quarter. He scored eight straight factors in somewhat greater than a minute late within the recreation to pressure a Sport 7.

“I imply, he destroyed us,” Doncic mentioned. “That’s what it’s. He had a hell of a recreation. And that’s what he does.”

Dealing with elimination, the Clippers felt the stress of their season hanging within the stability and with the potential for struggling a second straight disappointing postseason. However in contrast to once they blew a 3-1 lead within the second spherical to the Denver Nuggets in embarrassing trend final yr, the Clippers performed with the kind of urgency and struggle that they wanted to pressure their second consecutive Sport 7.

“It was a Sport 7 earlier than the Sport 7 for us,” mentioned Paul George, who scored 20 factors, grabbed 13 rebounds and had six assists.

Leonard set the tone from the opening tip. Clippers coach Ty Lue mentioned they mentioned placing Leonard on Doncic and that his star ahead wished the tall activity. Doncic, who got here into the sport averaging 35 factors within the sequence, completed with 29 factors, 11 assists and eight rebounds, however he shot simply 11-of-24 and 2-of-9 from behind the arc because the Clippers trapped him at instances off screens and saved defenders on him greater than switching.

Leonard held all Mavericks he defended to a complete of 11 factors and 4-for-13 capturing. Doncic shot simply 2-for-6 when guarded by Leonard, in response to information from ESPN Stats & Data.

“He was doing all the things to cease, making it powerful on the opposite finish,” George mentioned. “You noticed top-of-the-line, if not one of the best two-way gamers at his greatest.”

Dallas led 82-79 with 9:06 left, however Leonard turned it round. When the Clippers have been clinging to a two-point lead, Leonard drilled a 21-foot pull-up jumper. After grabbing a rebound, Leonard buried a 27-foot, step-back 3-pointer. After which he completed a private 8-2 run with one other step-back 3 to present the Clippers a 98-90 lead with 1:41 remaining.

Leonard made all 5 of his photographs within the fourth quarter and is the primary participant to go 5-for-5 or higher within the remaining quarter when dealing with elimination since Leonard’s former teammate Tim Duncan did so towards the Mavericks in 2009.

“The truth that he had the vitality offensively to hit these photographs down the stretch, the vast majority of which have been very troublesome, it’s one thing to behold,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle mentioned.

Carlisle added: “We’ve accomplished all the things on this sequence, and we’ll need to be prepared with the kitchen sink in Sport 7.”

This was the form of efficiency the Clippers envisioned once they signed Leonard, a two-time Finals MVP and elite two-way defender, and traded for George to assist land Leonard in the summertime of 2019.

However the job isn’t accomplished. Leonard and the Clippers have extra work to do in what might be one other pressure-packed Sport 7. This time, the Clippers hope to erase haunting reminiscences from final yr.

“Simply one thing that I had younger, all the time eager to win the sport, to attempt to exert my will on the ground,” Leonard mentioned of his mentality getting into this recreation from previous playoff experiences. “And my teammates had the identical mentality.

“In order that’s what I attempted to [instill] with them now to make it possible for we preserve combating, don’t surrender, and also you by no means know what might occur. Simply have religion after which play onerous, have enjoyable. That’s all you are able to do.”