Clippers cruise to big road win at Cleveland
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.”
UP NEXT
Clippers: Head home to face the Boston Celtics on Friday.