Leonard bulldozes mavs in clincher

ORLANDO (Florida) • Paul George has blown hot and cold for the Los Angeles Clippers throughout their opening series of the National Basketball Association (NBA) play-offs with the Dallas Mavericks, leading to praise and derision in equal parts.

His teammate Kawhi Leonard, has, however, been his usual model of consistency.

The post-season is when the forward shines, and the Finals Most Valuable Player again showed what he is about on Sunday, pacing the Clippers with 33 points as they beat the Mavericks 111-97, eliminating them 4-2 at Disney World.

It was an all-round effort at both ends of the floor as he also had a game-high 14 boards, joint team-high seven assists and five steals, making him just the seventh player in NBA history to have at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a play-off game.

Unlike George, who was yet again poor on the night with 15 points - he had a total of 34 points in Games 2, 3 and 4 - this was Leonard's fifth 30-point performance in a row.

The two-time league winner, who spearheaded the Toronto Raptors' maiden championship run last year, was nonchalant about his hot streak after sealing their Western Conference second-round match-up with the winners of the Utah Jazz-Denver Nuggets series, which is tied at 3-3.

"Just got to my spots and put up the shot with confidence and it went in," he said.

"Just kept giving it to me and it went in with confidence.

"Momentum, it can switch real easily. You have to keep fighting when you're up and when you're down, stay focused."

Fellow All-Star George also admitted it was Leonard and not him that was the team's go-to guy.

"I mean Kawhi's a man of business," the forward told ESPN. "He stepped up and stepped in time after time, whenever we needed him, he put us on his back and he finished the series.

"I can't say it enough. After this series, he's the most reliable guy. His shotmaking and his time on awareness plays - he is one of a kind."

Clippers coach Doc Rivers, whose team have never made it past the West Finals, added: "You could tell he (Leonard) was the one guy that was used to closing out a series.

"He was calm, he got us in place. During games, you fall on a set, and we fell on that little elbow set for him. He just took what was there. If they didn't come, he scored; if they came, he made the right pass."

The Clippers next play on Thursday after Jamal Murray posted his second 50-point game of the opening round as the Nuggets beat the Jazz 119-107. Denver is trying to become the 12th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series and the first in four years, with Game 7 taking place today.

In the East, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart each scored 21 points to lead the Boston Celtics over the Raptors 112-94 as the second-round series got under way.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE