Paul George is back and better than ever as he helps his team blowout the Dallas Mavericks. George got his confidence back and had a great night leading all scorers with 35 points. His 35 being just one point more than his last three games combined. Second, in scoring, Kawhi Leonard had another consistent night with 32 points, now only trailing Donovon Mitchell for most points in these playoffs. Dallas was unable to figure it out on defense as they were exposed on all ends of the floor. Turnovers leading to sloppy play that allowed for no momentum for the Mavericks. Clippers did have their defensive game on point though, as they were able to hold Doncic to 22 points. Hardaway next in line with 19 points sums up the Mavericks night. Clippers went an impressive 63% from both the three and the field to now go 3-2 on the series.
Mavericks began the game shooting back to back threes to get the early lead on the Clippers. Mavs were determined to take charge of the game as they began shooting well from beyond the arc. The Clippers however, got off to a dominant run leading the Mavs by 20 points in the first quarter. George matched his entire Game 4 point total in the first quarter alone scoring 9 points for the Clippers. His play would make all the difference as Mavs could not keep up with the Los Angeles duo. Frustration took over for the Mavs as their star player got a Technical foul as well as Dallas coach Rick Carlisle being ejected. Clippers led the Mavs 76-52 at the half.
The second half did not bode the Mavs much better, Clippers continued their offensive dominance. Despite Mavs defensive effort, Clippers continued to steam roll through. Porzingis absence was definitely felt for the Mavs as they suffered on both ends of the court. Weaknesses in Mavs rebounding and ability to space the floor factored heavily in Clippers dominance, areas where Porzingis could have made a difference. Montrezl Harrell with some dominant play in the fourth sealed the deal for his team. The starters would be sat halfway through the fourth. Clippers were able to hold their lead from the first the entire game as they take Game 5 154-111.
It seemed as if after every game Clippers played social media had a lot to say about Paul George. So much so that George addressed these comments with an Instagram post telling people to not worry about him. That was in-between Game 2 and 3, he followed after with his most abysmal performance of the series in Game 4. After having gone through so much between injuries and critiques, Paul George broke through and dominated Game 5. In response to his poor games, Paul George got intimate stating, “The bubble got the best of me I was in a dark place. It was just difficult. I found my way, I’m back.” An honest look that many NBA players do not give insight into, yet George did so revealing a more confident mindset. With Paul George gaining his confidence back and Kawhi being Kawhi the league should be worried. Clippers will look to end the series in Game 6 Thursday night.
For more NBA coverage, click here.
