PAUL George scored 37 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers, playing without injured Kawhi Leonard, to a surprising 119-111 win over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila) in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Marcus Morris Sr. added 25 points and Reggie Jackson fired in 22 points to help Los Angeles take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The fourth-seeded Clippers can eliminate the top-seeded Jazz in Los Angeles in Game 6 on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
Despite the absence of Leonard, who was sidelined due to a sprained right knee, the Clippers withstood a blistering first-half shooting performance by the Jazz to win their third consecutive game after falling behind 0-2 in the series.
George grabbed a playoff-career-high 16 rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists.
Bojan Bogdanovic hit nine 3-pointers and scored 32 points to lead the Jazz. Donovan Mitchell, limited by a sprained ankle, added 21 points, five assists and five rebounds for Utah.
The Jazz again played without Mike Conley, who has yet to appear in the series because of a strained right hamstring.
The Jazz hit 17 of 30 3-point attempts in the first half but only took a 65-60 lead into the locker room. Bogdanovic hit his first six long-distance attempts in the first quarter and had 18 points in the opening period and 23 by halftime. — Field Level Media
