George shows everyone he can carry Clippers on his own

The Los Angeles Clippers were hit with season-altering news prior to Game 5 versus the Utah Jazz. Kawhi Leonard, who has been putting on spellbinding performances in the playoffs, has been ruled out indefinitely because of a right knee sprain. The unfortunate development came at the worst possible time as the Clippers had just won two games and had all the momentum on their side.

But just when you thought that Clippers were at a major disadvantage, Leonard’s absence provided Los Angeles’ other star to rise to the occasion. 

With his team needing him the most, Paul George delivered to lead the Clippers past the Jazz, 119-111, in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. George poured in 37 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal in a statement win. He went 12-for-22 from the field, knocked down three treys, and made 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. He became the first player in franchise history to have a 35-15-5 line in the playoffs. 

"I thought this was our toughest matchup this postseason,” George said. "This was the biggest game of our season. Especially being down without our best player. We wish Kawhi the best and a speedy recovery. But we knew coming into this game we had to play together, we had to step up."

Leonard has been the best player on the Clippers. Shoot, he’s one of the best players of all time. He’s in that upper echelon of players, belonging in the same breath as Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant. Potentially losing a player with that kind of caliber for the rest of the playoffs will have a huge effect on the Clippers’ championship hopes. You lose his veteran leadership, his experience as a two-time Finals MVP, his sensational defense, as well as his incredible shot-making. 

If the Clippers were stressed out with Leonard’s status, it didn’t show on the road against the Jazz. 

“But we didn’t have to overly do it,” George noted on the team’s performance. "I thought everybody played their roles. We did a great job, we played collectively. Against this team, you have to. We limited our turnovers, I thought that was the key tonight."

Terance Mann started in place for the injured Leonard and the Clippers stuck with their style of play on both ends. Offensively, they were still swinging the ball with precision or finding the right guy in the corner. Leonard used to run the possessions with his aggressive drives to the basket. Without him, the Clippers heavily relied on George but Mann, Patrick Beverley, and Reggie Jackson also provided the playmaking needed to run their offense. 

The Clippers still deployed their small-ball lineups with Marcus Morris Sr. being the man in the middle. It’s small-ball basketball but they easily make up their lack of height with length and versatility across all positions. Ivica Zubac logged in just eight minutes while DeMarcus Cousins, who had a limited but significant run in Game 1, didn’t play at all. Coach Tyronn Lue continued to shorten his rotation while making minor adjustments along the way. The frontcourt of George, Morris Sr., and Nicolas Batum has been solid against the 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert. 

As for guarding Donovan Mitchell, it was a collective effort from the Clippers. They stayed true to their defensive schemes on Utah’s main gunner, not allowing him to get on an offensive rhythm. Mitchell finished with 21 points, five boards, and five dimes, but only shot 31.6 percent from the field. 

If Leonard’s absence was even felt by the Clippers, it may have been just the first half. The Jazz came out scorching in the opening period, hitting a franchise-record 10 3-pointers. Bojan Bogdanovic led the party from beyond the arc and made six treys on his own. The barrage continued in the second quarter with the Jazz knocking down seven more shots from deep. 

Amidst the Jazz long bombs, the Clippers didn’t panic. They didn’t crumble under the immense outside shooting and the raucous home crowd. 

"I think a lot of their 3s were tough ones. We didn’t overreact. They came out hot,” assessed George on the first half Jazz onslaught. "Good thing about it, we were able to weather the storm. We came down, we attacked them on offense as well. We just took their blows, took their punches. We just thought they couldn’t sustain that over a full 48[-minute] game.”

As George said, the Clippers remained resilient as the Jazz ran out of bullets. In the second half, Bogdanovic knocked down just two more triples while Mitchell had one. The Clippers, meanwhile, turned on the jets to start the second half and went on a 23-9 run and totaled 32 points by the end of the third quarter. 

George scored 15 points in the second half and Reggie Jackson fired 12 points in the final frame to seal the win. 

"He is incredible. He’s special. Paul is special. All-NBA this year for a reason,” Jackson said of George.

Jackson went on to point out that George’s demeanor and mind-frame helped the Clippers ease into life without Leonard. 

"The way he just handled himself, he seemed calm. It’s tough news to receive but he seemed calm,” Jackson said. "He was ready to put his team on his back and carry the extra weight. And he showed up and proved why he’s one of the best players in the league. He’s been incredible for us when we had him throughout the entire season. So I was just proud of his approach."

George knew it was on him to come and be the focal point for the Clippers. And he knows that the fortunes of his team will continue to be on his shoulders.

"Got an unbelievable opportunity waiting for us back home,” he said as the Clippers are one win away from going to Western Conference Finals. "We just gotta go into the mindset that we don’t want to come back to Utah."