Facing the prospect of going down to the top-seeded Utah Jazz 3-0, the fourth-seeded LA Clippers played their best basketball of the second-round series in a 132-106 victory in Game 3 on Saturday.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George paved the way for the Clippers, as both stars eclipsed the 30-point mark in the postseason for the second time in their careers as teammates. LA is now 2-0 in those games. Donovan Mitchell had a team-high 30 points for the Jazz, his 14th career 30-point game in only 30 postseason competitions, but was ruled out in the middle of the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
Can the Clippers keep it running in Game 4? Will Jazz have a healthy backcourt to work with on Monday? Here are five things we got from Game 3.
Playoff P show on Saturday
Over the years, no one has abused Paul George more for his playoff failures. From time to time, he and his teams have fallen flat after the season, and George's game — and his words — have been dissected to an endless degree.
Saturday night, however, is a reminder of why the Clippers got in trouble for pairing George with Leonard two years ago — and why Leonard himself wanted to play with him.
George finished Game 3 with 31 points and conceded five assists while going 6-for 10 from 3-point range - such a skillful offensive display that the Clippers were desperate to find themselves back in this Western Conference semi-final. There was a need, and one needed to make George try to change the perception of him in the basketball world.
It has been forgotten that, during his time with the Indiana Pacers, George had some big playoff moments. But failures have been overshadowed by him since then—from a first-round loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, when Damien Lillard ended the series with a bomb on himself from nearly half the court, to last year's fall against the Denver Nuggets. , when George fired a 3-pointer from the edge of the backboard during the Clippers' Game 7 loss. As a result his "Playoff P" moniker has become the subject of an endless series of jokes.
However, if he and the Clippers can pull themselves out of this hole, it will give George a chance to rewrite the story that has emerged around him. As my colleague Brian Windhorst is fond of saying, "Winning a championship doesn't mean you never have regrets."
Saturday night's eruption brought George and the Clippers one step closer to doing just that. — Tim Bontemps
Clippers find ways to attack Gobert
As good as Donovan Mitchell was for Utah in the first two games, Rudy Gobert's influence at either end was almost as important. The Jazz were plus-19 in Gobert's 69 minutes of action and outsourced 10 in the other 27 minutes to Salt Lake City. That changed on Saturday, when Utah was a minus-16 with Gobert on the court—similar to a plus-minus for the team's other starters.
After going big in Game 2 with Ivica Zubac starting in the center, the Clippers went back to their smaller starting lineup without a traditional center. This forced Gobert to defend a shooter on the periphery, allowing the shears to attack without him close to the basket. And unlike in Game 1 - when they also started playing the short ball - the Clippers avoided being mashed on the offensive glass by the Jazz, which only spoiled 22.5% of available offensive rebounds.
The result was a 44-32 lead in points in the paint for the Clippers, who shot 55% (22-of-40) on those attempts, while Utah struggled to finish in the paint, 16-of-35 ( 46%). — Kevin Pelton
Kawhi is still the best two-way player in the game
You knew that Leonard would be the best player on the court for at least one game in this series.
In order for the Clippers to have any hope of moving forward, this had to happen in Game 3. As he repeatedly did during the first round with LA in dire situations, Leonard rose to the occasion.
Paul George is credited with making Leonard's status as the biggest star of the Clippers' victory the subject of debate on Saturday. George posted his best offensive after this season with 31 points, but Leonard's extra-large fingerprints were on the winning side.
Leonard dominated with his strength, ferocity and athleticism. He scored 34 points shooting 24 out of 14, with more than half of his bucket covered in paint. He scored 12 rebounds, many of the go-up-and-get-it-in-traffic variety. He was the Clippers' most influential defender, defending Donovan Mitchell during the Jazz Star's first quarter and wreaking havoc as a helm defender on several occasions.
You'd think a two-time NBA Finals MVP wouldn't go down without a fight. Leonard landed on a mower on Saturday night. — Tim McMahon
Jazz needs Mike Connelly Jr.
Donovan Mitchell's heroics in the first two games served as a great cover-up, but the Jazz is missing Mike Connelly Jr. When Spida is off the floor, Conley is often tasked with running the offense and providing good looks for non-Mitchell teammates. .
In the first two games of the series, a Jazz player who was not named Mitchell shot only 38% (46-for-121) from the field. Conley is the only other starter who can create a good look for himself, and without him, the offense is too one-dimensional. The Clippers were eventually going to adjust to the Jazz's aggressive plans, and did so in Game 3.
Mitchell has sprained his previously injured ankle several times in this series, making Conley's offensive composition even more important if Mitchell is slowed down in any way. — Andre Snellings
Reggie Jackson, X-Factor
When the Clippers were rounding out pieces on the roster to complement their two stars, they probably didn't expect Reggie Jackson to become a deadeye spot-up shooter and crucial third scorer.
But as this series progresses, the importance of Jackson is becoming clear. He is not only a shot maker and shot maker, he is the spacer and pressure release that can open the way for Leonard and George. Jackson's late shot clock abilities to either drive the lane or hit a hard step backwards are the kind of bailouts that are often made on playoff wins.
Against a team like the Jazz, which swings the ball dynamically, balances its scoring and hits a barrage of 3s, relying on a two-headed attack will never be enough. But if Jackson is going to consistently provide the production of a elusive third debut, then suddenly the Clippers start looking like the super team they were supposed to be. - Royce Young