National Basketball Association
L.A. Clippers 106, Dallas 81
When: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, May 30, 2021
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Officials: #42 Eric Lewis, #26 Pat Fraher, #39 Tyler Ford
Attendance: 17761

Kawhi Leonard had 29 points and 10 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers even their Western Conference first-round playoff series against the host Dallas Mavericks with a 106-81 win in Game 4 on Sunday night.

Paul George added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who lost the first two games of the series in Los Angeles before bouncing back to win the next two on the road.

Reggie Jackson scored 15 points and Nicolas Batum, who replaced Ivica Zubac in the starting lineup, contributed 10 points for the Clippers, who host Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Luka Doncic came in averaging 38 points and 8.7 rebounds through the first three games of the series, but has been bothered by a cervical strain on his left side and was limited to 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. He made just 9 of 24 shots from the field, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range.

Kristaps Porzingis contributed 18 points, but the remaining Dallas starters beyond him and Doncic combined for 12 points on 4-for-20 shooting.

As a team, the Mavericks shot 5-for30 from 3-point range, a single-game season-low 16.7 percent, after averaging 18.3 baskets and shooting 50.5 percent from 3-point distance through the first three games of the series.

Leonard made his first eight shots en route to scoring 36 points in Game 3 on Friday, and he made his first six shots on Sunday.

The Mavericks' only surge came when 7-foot-4 center Boban Marjanovic made his first appearance of the series midway through the first quarter and scored four of his 12 points, but the Mavericks never regained the lead.

Dallas missed its first seven 3-point attempts before Jalen Brunson hit one at the first-quarter buzzer to cut the lead to 31-22.

The Clippers went on an 11-0 run in the second quarter to take a 45-27 lead, and led by as many as 19 in the second quarter, the same lead the Mavericks had in the first half of Game 3 before losing by 10 points.

The Clippers eventually took a 61-45 lead into the half, and then scored the first eight points of the second half to move ahead 69-45.

Los Angeles expanded the lead to as much as 28 in the third quarter before taking an 82-60 lead into the fourth.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Clippers   Dallas
Kawhi Leonard 29 Scoring Luka Doncic 19
Rajon Rondo 4 Assists Luka Doncic 6
Kawhi Leonard 10 Rebounds Dorian Finney-Smith 8
Paul George 5 Free Throws Made Kristaps Porzingis 4
Nicolas Batum 4 Steals Luka Doncic 1
Nicolas Batum 2 Blocks Kristaps Porzingis 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Clippers 106 48.1 13-33 19-25 16 53 6 7 12
Dallas 81 34.8 5-30 14-22 15 41 1 3 8
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game on the road against L.A. Clippers. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .600 after a loss.
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Clippers have a W/L % of .617 after a win and .720 after a loss.