Orlando, USA – The Los Angeles Clippers rally behind Kawhi Leonard as they eliminate the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6, 111-97, to advance in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Clippers went to work early and had Paul George kicking things off with seven points while Marcus Morris had 9.
Doncic was fouled hard by Morris at 1:07 mark in the first quarter. Referees slapped Morris with a flagrant 2 and was ejected in the game. Mavericks gain momentum and has a five-point lead heading to the second period.
Kawhi Leonard came alive scoring 9 points and the bench followed through in the second quarter as he led the comeback. Clippers take a six point lead going to halftime, 57-51.
The Clippers went on to a full attack in the second half with Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac following the lead Kawhi Leonard. Defense locked down the Mavericks and lost both third and fourth quarters by five and six points respectively.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 33 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Paul George didn’t sustain his first quarter shooting and ended with 15 points but had nine rebounds and seven assists.
Zubac tallies 15 points as well along with 11 rebounds while Reggie Jackson contributed 14 points along with four three-pointers.
Ending their season, the Mavericks had Luka Doncic flirting with a triple double of 38 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Dorian Finney-Smith followed throught with 16 points and six rebounds while Tim Hardaway Jr. had 10 points.
The Clippers move on to the second round after beating the Mavericks in Game 6, 4-2. They will be facing the winner of the series between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.
The Scores:
Clippers (111) – Leonard 33, George 15, Zubac 15, Jackson 14, Morris 9, Shamet 9, Green 7, Williams 5, Harrell 4, Coffey 0, Mann 0, McGruder 0.
Mavericks (97) – Doncic 38, Finney-Smith 16, Hardaway 10, Kleber 9, Marjanovic 8, Curry 7, Burke 6, Kidd-Gilchrist 2, Jackson 1, Cleveland 0, Reaves 0.
Quarterscores: 29-34, 57-51, 85-74, 111-97.