The Los Angeles Clippers finished with a 119-111 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 5 on Wednesday night despite missing star Kawhi Leonard due to a potential season-ending right knee injury.
The Clippers have a 3-2 lead and could close out the series with a decisive Game 6 win in L.A. on Friday. If the Clippers do so, they would advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history. They would face the Phoenix Suns, led by former Clippers guard Chris Paul, beginning Sunday if the Clippers close out the series in six.
How did the Clippers do it in Game 5? They relied on Paul George and a strong supporting cast.
George finished with 37 points on 12-of-22 shooting, 16 rebounds and five assists. He became the first player in franchise history to score at least 20 points in 12 consecutive playoff games and at least 30 points in three consecutive playoff games. George nearly matched his playoff career high of 39 points against the Toronto Raptors on April 26, 2016 while he was with the Indiana Pacers.
Marcus Morris Sr. (25), Reggie Jackson (22) and Terance Mann (13) also scored in double figures. Though the Jazz kept things close with contributions from Bojan Bogdanovic (32 points), Donovan Mitchell (21 points on 6-of-19 shooting), Rudy Gobert (17), Jordan Clarkson (15), Royce O’Neal (12) and Joe Ingles (12), the normally offensively proficient Jazz stagnated.
After shooting efficiently from 3-point range in the first quarter (10-of-15) and second quarter (7-of-15), the Jazz missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts in the third.
The Jazz may have also missed All-Star Mike Conley, who has yet to appear in this playoff series because of what the team has called “a mild right hamstring strain.”
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