George scores 36, Clippers use 3-pointers to drill Cavs

CLEVELAND » Paul George made a season-high eight 3-pointers and scored 36 points, Kawhi Leonard added 24 and the Los Angeles Clippers found enough energy on tired legs to end a six-game road trip with a 121-99 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Just 24 hours after dropping a tight game in Brooklyn that had an NBA Finals vibe, the Clippers made 20 3-pointers to avoid losing two straight for the first time this season. They are the only team in the league not to drop two in a row.

George only missed one 3-pointer and Los Angeles went 20 of 34 on 3s, outscoring Cleveland 60-12 from behind the arc.

George banked in a 32-footer at the horn to end the third, capping his 16-point quarter that gave the Clippers a 14-point cushion heading into the fourth.

The Cavs were hanging around and only down 10 when the Clippers went on a 12-0 run that featured 3s by George and Lou Williams that ended any hopes of a Cleveland comeback.

Collin Sexton scored 27 and Darius Garland 23 for the Cavaliers, who played

well in spurts but couldn’t stop the Clippers’ 3-point barrage.

The final stop on the Clippers’ trip was also a special one for coach Tyronn Lue, who guided the Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016. It was his first visit to Cleveland as a head coach, and he received a nice ovation when he was introduced before the game.

Tip-ins

CLIPPERS » Ivica Zubac had 16 rebounds . ... Dropped their first five 3-pointers and went 6 of 9 from deep in the first quarter . ... Los Angeles went 4-2 on the trip

is 11-2 in its last 13 overall. ... Lue has known Sexton for years and is not surprised by the guard’s quick rise to stardom. “He’s a hard worker,” said Lue, who was fired six games into Sexton’s rookie season. “When I was here we had to kick him out of the gym because he was doing too much.” CAVALIERS » F Larry Nance Jr. missed his fourth game with a sprained right wrist. Nance came back after sitting out two games, but aggravated the injury . ... F Kevin Love is getting closer to playing after being sidelined for months with a severe right calf strain. He’s finally doing individual basketball activities. The fivetime All-Star has played just 46 minutes this season. “He was moving around and looks good,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “He says he feels good. Obviously, we’re going to be intelligent about how we bring him back.”

Up next

CLIPPERS » Head home to face the Boston Celtics on Friday.

CAVALIERS » Begin a rugged stretch against winning teams by playing the first of back-to-back home games against Milwaukee on Friday.