Paul George nailed the go-ahead shot for the Clippers on Sunday. Then he blocked Darius Garland’s attempt to avoid OT.
PAUL GEORGE GIVES THE CLIPPERS THE LEAD 120-118!
— NBA (@NBA) April 7, 2024
7.1 seconds remaining on the NBA App. Cavs ball.
https://t.co/JyX20y9iXf pic.twitter.com/ZZEcqzYUd1
PG'S BLOCK ON THE OTHER END HELPS SEAL THE CLIPPERS' WIN! https://t.co/B0gmEEulzW pic.twitter.com/WXfZEGjYO2
— NBA (@NBA) April 7, 2024
The Clippers held on to win 120-118 and collected their 50th win over the Cavs. They’ve almost clinched home-court advantage for the first round, staying two games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks with four to play — and the Clippers own the tiebreaker after winning the season series.
It looked like it would be a miserable game for L.A. midway through the third quarter when Cleveland took a 26-point lead at the Crypto.com Arena. But George took over and scored 23 of his 39 points in the final quarter.
PG dances on the perimeter for the 3 ball to cut the Cavs lead to 5!
— NBA (@NBA) April 7, 2024
Clippers were down by as many as 26 on the NBA App
https://t.co/JyX20y9iXf pic.twitter.com/50nzSqh7nx
For Cleveland, the blown lead represents a blow to its own chances for home court in the first round. It's now behind both the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, having lost the tiebreaker to both.
Cleveland had a shot at finishing as high as second in the Eastern Conference before this disastrous road trip. It dropped four out of five games, all to Western Conference playoff teams, culminating in back-to-back losses in Los Angeles.
George took a big step in getting his team an extra playoff game in L.A. And a miserable road trip is likely to send Cleveland on the road in the first round.
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