LA Clippers’ Paul George delivers in Game 5 win with Kawhi Leonard sidelined

With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely with a sprained knee, Paul George channeled his outdated mindset of being the franchise chief in Indiana and produced arguably his best recreation and second as a member of the LA Clippers on Wednesday night time.

Enjoying in entrance of a hostile crowd that has taunted his each transfer, George delivered a celebrity efficiency with 37 factors, a playoff career-high 16 rebounds and 5 assists in main the Clippers to a 119-111 win over the Utah Jazz in a pivotal Sport 5 earlier than 18,007 at Vivint Enviornment in Salt Lake Metropolis. The Clippers took a 3-2 collection lead and might clinch on Friday at Staples Middle in Los Angeles.

“It was no secret,” George stated of what he needed to do with out Leonard. “I knew I needed to be large tonight and obtained to be large going ahead.”

Afterward, George was requested if that is what “Playoff P” — the nickname he coined for himself to a lot criticism earlier than Oklahoma Metropolis confronted Utah within the 2018 postseason — appears to be like like.

“Certain,” George replied with a smile.

By becoming a member of Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant as the one two gamers to have not less than 35 factors, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a recreation this postseason, George has the Clippers only one win away from reaching the franchise’s first-ever Western Convention finals for the second straight postseason.

And he helped the Clippers do it with out Leonard, the group’s greatest participant. Leonard suffered a proper knee sprain within the fourth quarter of Sport 4 on Monday and was unable to complete the ultimate 4 minutes, 35 seconds of the sport.

Head coach Ty Lue stated the Clippers are awaiting outcomes from additional checks to see what the timetable is for Leonard’s restoration. Leonard initially flew to Salt Lake Metropolis with the group earlier than returning to Los Angeles.

Leonard knowledgeable his teammates late Tuesday that he’d be out for Wednesday’s recreation, sources informed ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne.

“Oh, man, it was a blow,” George stated of his response when he came upon. “It was a troublesome blow. However you recognize, on the finish of the day, we don’t need nothing however one of the best for Kawhi. It’s a constructive; he can get some relaxation. Hopefully we will maintain it down. However it’s a constructive. , he’s obtained a brand new child boy right here. Loads of positives, numerous love for him and his household.”

In entrance of a crowd that has no love for him relationship again to that 2018 first-round collection between the Thunder and Jazz, George got here out aggressive and remained that manner even when Utah threatened to bury the Clippers below an avalanche of 3-pointers. The Jazz drilled 17 of 30 triples by halftime, with Bojan Bogdanovic pulling down his first six makes an attempt within the first quarter alone.

However George hit 9 of his first 14 pictures and scored 22 factors within the first half, and the Clippers adopted their All-Star guard.

“He’s unbelievable,” stated level guard Reggie Jackson, who hit quite a few large pictures when the Clippers wanted them and completed with 22 factors. “Paul is particular. … You’re going to have the naysayers and critics, however that’s what you’re keen on about this recreation. You simply must attempt to put it behind you.”

Jackson stated George “appeared calm” after listening to the information on Leonard.

“It didn’t seem to be it harm an excessive amount of,” Jackson stated. “He was able to put the group on his again to hold additional weight, and he confirmed up and proved why he’s among the finest gamers on this league and why he’s been unbelievable for us once we had him for all the season. … He simply stored enjoying with conviction.”

The Clippers have been closely criticized final postseason after they blew a 3-1 lead within the second spherical to Denver. George drew warmth as effectively for struggling along with his shot within the bubble final postseason, culminating in Sport 7, when he shot 4-of-16 for 10 factors. He later admitted that he skilled bouts of despair whereas within the bubble and that it impacted his psychological well being and play.

George got here into this season decided to have a bounce-back 12 months and erase the dangerous style of final postseason. Lue stated George informed him earlier than the morning shootaround Wednesday, “T, I obtained us.”

“Have numerous respect for PG,” Lue stated of George, who performed 40 minutes. “Like you’ll be able to’t decide a man’s profession off what they do off one collection. Like I do know numerous nice gamers which have dangerous collection or a foul recreation or a foul two video games in a collection, however at any time when he has a foul recreation, they need to make a giant deal of it. It’s no matter. , simply hold enjoying. Preserve being who you might be, and on the finish of the day, you recognize, you’ll be able to reside with the outcomes.”

George has quieted even his most vocal critics of late. He has scored 30 or extra factors in three straight video games. Utah’s scorching taking pictures lastly cooled off within the third quarter, however the Jazz made a ultimate run and lower a 10-point deficit to 110-106 with two minutes remaining. George responded by burying a 19-foot jumper whereas being fouled. He transformed the three-point play and hit two free throws late to seal the win.

George shot 12-of-22 general, with simply one among his subject objective makes an attempt going uncontested, in response to information from ESPN Stats & Info. He additionally helped maintain the Jazz to 4-of-13 taking pictures and compelled turnovers as the first defender.

If he can sustain his current tear on this collection and proceed to channel his outdated mentality when he was the franchise participant for the Indiana Pacers, George has an opportunity to elevate the Clippers to the Western Convention finals for the primary time of their 50 seasons — probably the most performed by a group with out reaching the league’s penultimate playoff spherical amongst lively NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL franchises, in response to ESPN Stats & Info analysis.

“I’ve been in Indiana, the place I needed to lead a franchise,” George stated of getting to steer with out Leonard. “The sweetness right here is I get to try this with among the finest on the planet in Kawhi. Now Kawhi is down. It was simply that mindset being again in Indy, having to set the tone and are available out and lead a ballclub.

“That’s actually the mindset I got here out with. It was nothing that I needed to show. It was nothing that I needed to be shocked about myself. I simply dug into a spot that I’ve been already in my profession, and it simply got here all the way down to belief. All people simply allowed me to steer they usually stored pushing me. They only stored me into an important psychological house.”