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June 6 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Clippers rallied past Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks for a 126-111 win in Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series Sunday at Staples Center. Clippers star Kawhi Leonard assisted on two consecutive 3-pointers from Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. late in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. Los Angeles went on a 30-6 run in the second half to advance to the second round.
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Almost nine months after suffering a shocking Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the bubble, the Clippers are returning to the Western Conference semifinals to challenge the top-seeded Utah Jazz after beating the Mavericks two games in a row.
Leonard was the prime contributor for the Clippers once again and just missed a triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He helped the Clippers stave off elimination in Game 6 against Dallas, with the two-time NBA Finals MVP scoring 45 points on 72% shooting from the field.
The Clippers, who also got 22 points and 10 assists from fellow All-Star Paul George in Game 7, broke through and became the only team to win at home in the entire series. The road team won the first six games in the series, marking the first time that has occurred in NBA playoff history.
Doncic recorded 46 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in his attempt to keep the Mavericks in contention. Dorian Finney-Smith had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Kristaps Porzingis notched 16 points and 11 boards.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting for the Mavs. Boban Marjanovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Morris finished with 23 points and five rebounds for Los Angeles. Jackson tallied 15 points, and Nicolas Batum chipped in 11 points.
The Clippers are set to begin their best-of-seven series against the Jazz on Tuesday night.
