Clippers advance to second round after outlasting Mavericks in Game 7 showdown

It was a valiant effort by Luka Doncic and the underdog Dallas Mavericks, but they simply ran out of gas when it mattered the most.

Thanks to Kawhi Leonard and some clutch three point shooting by Luke Kennard, the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away with a 24-4 run run in the fourth quarter and won by a final score of 126-111 to win Game 7 on Sunday afternoon and advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Clippers, who were favoured heading into the series, overcame adversity after going down 0-2, and then survived two straight games with their season on the line. They became just the fifth team in NBA history to win a series after losing the first two games.

Clippers star Paul George credits the team’s mindset and hard work for coming out on top against a young and stubborn Mavericks.

“We showed great resilience…They pushed us. They definitely got us war-ready. We hung in there, we played for one another, we played hard.” said George, who scored 22 points on the afternoon.

The Clippers will open their second round series against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday as slight underdogs.