National Basketball Association

Paul George's heroics, Ty Lue's poise guide LA Clippers to Game 5 win

Updated Jun. 29, 2021 1:42 a.m. ET

Adversity reveals character.

With the LA Clippers down 3-1 on the road and their season on the line, they could have easily folded without the services of Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac.

Instead, they rose to the occasion – as their habit has been – to force a Game 6 back in Staples Center thanks to a 116-102 win over the Phoenix Suns.

The win continued the Clippers' trend of responding with their backs against the wall this postseason.

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They did so by following the lead of their star Paul George, who put on a career-best playoff performance to help the Clippers avoid elimination and get back into the best-of-seven series, trailing now 3-2.

"We fight, we're scrappy, we leave everything on the line and we do it together," George said. "That's the most important thing – we do it together."

George scored 41 points while grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out six assists, and was clearly the best player on the floor.

George scored 20 of those points in the third quarter, and he became the first Clipper in franchise history to record at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in a playoff game.

"That's one of the most special dude to lace his shoes," DeMarcus Cousins said of George. "Give the man his flowers."

Clippers coach Ty Lue said he thinks George is unfairly criticized when he has a sub-par game.

"PG’s been great for us all year and I just don’t understand why it’s magnified so much when he doesn’t play well," he said. "I’m just happy he came back and played a great game."

While George was incredible on the floor, Lue was just as brilliant from the sidelines, pressing seemingly all of the right buttons.

The Clippers are now 3-0 this postseason when facing elimination, and Lue improves to 10-2 in his career as a head coach in win-or-go-home playoff games.

The Clippers still have to win two more games to pull off yet another comeback, and they will have to do it at less than full strength. But for now, they continue to prove that they won't go down easily.

If at all.