The Clippers shut the door on the Mavericks' series and will move on to the next round
Orlando- The Los Angeles Clippers have defeated the Dallas Mavericks to go to the next round, 111-97.
Kawhi Leonard had a slow start in the first half of Game 6, as he shot 5 of 12 from the field. However, Paul George picked up the slack, as he started to get hot in the second quarter. George hit a couple of threes, had two steals, and put the Mavericks in a difficult position to either double or play man on man on him. George finished the half with 14 points, 2 assists, and 6 rebounds. Even though the Clippers were 5 of 14 from the three-point strike, they were shooting around 50% from the field. The Clippers took advantage of the smaller line-up that Dallas had and abused them in the painted area. Los Angeles had 24 points in the paint, which made it a little easier for the Clippers to get some type of breathing room before the half. LA had a 57-51 lead at the break.
In the third quarter, the Clippers went on 20-3 run to extend their lead to 20-points. Ivica Zubac, JaMychal Green, and Leonard all contrbuted to the run. What helped the Clippers out in the third quarter was the Mavericks' struggling to hit their shots, as well as turnovers. Dallas turned the ball over six times in the quarter, which lead to nine points for the Clippers. The Maveicks caught fire late in the third and went on a 15-7 run to cut the Clippers' lead to single digits.
Late in the fourth quarter, leonard went to work, as he scored eight straight points to keep the Mavericks at bay. Reggie Jackson put the dagger in the Mavericks' heart, as he hit a wide open three to put the Clippers back in double digits. With the victory over the Mavericks, the Clippers will move onto the next round to face either the Denver Nuggets or Utah Jazz.
Leonard finished the game with 33 points, 7 assists, and 13 rebounds. George finished the game with 15 points, 7 assists , and 10 rebounds.