The Los Angeles Clippers turned to their two superstars in Game 4 of their playoff series with the Utah Jazz – Kawhi Leonard and Paul George – and both provided the necessary boost to lift the Clippers over the Jazz by a final scoreline of 118-104.
Leonard and George both dropped an identical 31 points for the Clippers, meaning that the two provided a cumulative 52.5% of all scoring by Los Angeles. In a post-game interview, George discussed the dynamism of the duo and how it provides a necessary catalyst in sparking their offense. Leonard and George became just the fifth duo since the merger to score 30 points each in back-to-back playoff games.
“It’s opportunities for us to score when we get switches, but then there’s opportunities to allow our teammates to be aggressive and make plays for them when we can attack our mismatches,” George said. “I think it’s just a healthy mix.”
Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. noted how others on the team view the importance of George and Leonard producing for their squad.
“Those guys are our leaders,” Morris said. “We go as they go and they understand that. Guys have just been picking up the slack behind them.”
One of the most highlight-worthy moments in Leonard’s scoring spree came with an electrifying dunk over Jazz center Derrick Favors.
The Clippers scored early and often, grabbing a first-quarter lead that they never gave up, with Leonard and George leading the charge.
However, the Jazz did not go quietly. Star Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell put up 37 points, Joe Ingles threw in 19 and Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 18.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder did not mince words when discussing his team’s loss.
“We weren’t playing smart in that we weren’t connected… We weren’t putting ourselves in situations where we could have success,” Snyder said.
Leonard and George will look to spur the Clippers to success again in Game 5, which will occur on Wednesday night in Utah.
