When Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both connect, there seems to be no stopping the Los Angeles Clippers.

George finally found his stride and the Clippers crushed the Dallas Mavericks, 154-111, in Game 5 of their Western Conference first round playoff series on Tuesday, August 25 (Wednesday, August 26, Manila time).

Limited to 15.3 points in the first 4 games, George erupted for a game-high 35 points as the Clippers moved one game away from advancing to the second round with a 3-2 series lead.

George shot 12-of-18 from the field and 4-of-8 from long range, a major upgrade from his field goal and three-point averages of 27.3% and 20.8% respectively, earlier in the series.

As steady as ever, Leonard chalked up 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, unloading 15 points in the opening quarter that saw the Clippers dominate the Mavericks, 41-22.

The Clippers kept their foot on the gas in the last period and outscored the Mavericks 43-25 en route to the 43-point romp.

Montrezl Harrell had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Marcus Morris Sr chipped in 12 points and 6 rebounds, while Landry Shamet and Reggie Jackson added 11 points each in the win.

Aside from their record-setting offense – their 154 points a playoff franchise record – the Clippers also did a stellar job containing Luka Doncic, who had 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Doncic, who willed the Mavericks to a dramatic Game 4 win with a 40-point triple-double, shot 6-of-17 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point distance in Game 5.

It also did not help the Mavericks’ cause that Kristaps Porzingis sat out for the second straight game due to a sore right knee.

Prior to being sidelined, Porzingis normed 23.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in the first 3 games of the series.

Tim Hardaway Jr and Trey Burke backstopped Doncic with 19 and 15 points, respectively. – Rappler.com