NBA: Paul George, Clippers end Cavaliers’ winning streak
Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts after scoring a three pit s basket against Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half of the game at Crypto.com Arena on November 7, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images/AFP
Paul George scored 26 points, including a key three-point play in the final minute, as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 13-point deficit in the final five minutes for a 119-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Marcus Morris Sr. added 20 points and Reggie Jackson had 18 for Los Angeles, which shot 18 of 22 from the free-throw line in the final quarter to power the comeback. The Clippers won for the fourth time in their past five games while ending the Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak.
Article continues after this advertisementWith the score tied 112-112, George sank a driving layup with 37.2 seconds remaining and made the ensuing free throw after he was fouled by Isaac Okoro. The sequence capped a 15-0 run that gave Los Angeles the lead for the first time since the opening moments of the fourth quarter.
Jackson sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining for a 119-115 lead. He had left the Clippers’ Sunday loss to the Utah Jazz due to a left thigh/knee contusion.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Evan Mobley added 26 for the Cavaliers, who took their first loss since the opening game of the season. Donovan was 8 of 11 from 3-point range.
Article continues after this advertisementJarrett Allen scored 10 points and pulled down a season-high 20 rebounds as the Cavaliers dropped to 2-1 on their five-game road trip. They split a pair of games at Los Angeles, having defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 114-100 on Sunday.
Darius Garland had 19 points and 12 assists for Cleveland, who lost despite outrebounding Los Angeles 48-31.
The Clippers trailed by as many as 12 points in the first quarter but rallied for a 64-64 tie at the half behind 18 points from George and 11-of-20 shooting (55 percent) from 3-point range. That long-range success came after Los Angeles missed its last 16 3-point attempts on Sunday.
After playing Sunday, Clippers veteran John Wall (knee) was out for injury management, while Luke Kennard returned and scored six points after missing the Utah game due to a chest injury.
Norman Powell had 17 points for the Clippers, while Terance Mann had 16. Kevin Love scored 17 points for the Cavaliers.
