National Basketball Association

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George lead the way in Clippers' Game 4 victory

Published May. 31, 2021 12:18 a.m. ET

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The Clippers, much like everybody else, just needed the weekend to recharge.

The early 2-0 deficit has to feel like an eternity ago for the Clippers, who have now tied their first-round series with the Dallas Mavericks at 2-2 after an impressive 106-81 win in Game 4.

The Clippers scorched the nets, making 13 3-pointers on 39% long-range shooting, showing why they were statistically the best shooting team in NBA history this season.

Here's how the Clippers tied this series in Game 4:

Key performers: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

Last season might not have gone how the Clippers expected, with them crumbling under the weight of expectations in the postseason. But with the way that Leonard and George have responded to adversity after facing a 2-0 hole in this series, they have to feel pretty confident in their chances the rest of the way.

The Clippers' All-Star wing duo combined to score 35 of the Clippers' 61 first-half points, showing the type of laser focus needed to secure consecutive victories on the road in the postseason. They ended up combining for 49 points in the game, but they led by example early in the contest and their teammates followed on their way to a dominant win.

Turning point: The first half

The Clippers ground the Mavericks down in the first half, scoring at will while also applying pressure defense to completely neutralize the home team.

Dallas was only able to muster 45 points in the first half, struggling to find any consistency on offense and shooting just 3-for-15 from 3-point range.

The defensive pressure set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Mavericks were never quite able to find their footing and managed to score only 15 points in the third quarter.

The Clippers' offense was efficient Sunday night, but their defense was even better.

For more up-to-date news on all things Clippers, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Wild card: Luka's shoulder

If Luka Dončić can't be Luka Dončić, the Mavs will be hard-pressed to take two more games off the Clippers and win this series, and images of the Dallas star sitting on the bench with a wrap on his shoulder can't make Mavs fans feel confident.

For the first time in this series, Dončić looked less than stellar. He clearly labored on the court and was held to 19 points on just 9-for-24 shooting.

The Clippers have been the more aggressive team over the course of Games 3 and 4, but if Dončić is compromised, this series is firmly tipped in favor of the Clippers.

For more up-to-date news on all things Mavericks, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Did you know? 

The Clippers have tied the series at 2-2, giving themselves a chance of becoming just the fifth team in NBA Playoff history to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 2-0 with both losses coming at home. They also improve to 3-1 in Dallas this season.

Last year’s Mavericks-Clippers first-round series was also tied 2-2, and the Clippers went on to win 4-2.

Twitter’s take:

What’s next?

The Clippers have now climbed out of a hole as the series returns to the Staples Center for Game 5. The game will tip-off at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday.

For more up-to-date news on all things NBA, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

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National Basketball Association

LA Clippers

Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic

Kawhi Leonard

Paul George

NBA - LA Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks - 05/31/2021

Tim Hardaway Jr.