NBA: Paul George, Clippers rally to beat Spurs

FILE – Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers controls the ball during the first half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on November 02, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP

Paul George scored 35 points and Ivica Zubac added 17 points and 15 rebounds as the visiting Los Angeles Clippers came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat the San Antonio Spurs 113-106 on Friday to win their third straight game.

The Clippers trailed by four points going into the fourth quarter, but edged past San Antonio with a 14-3 run over four minutes midway through the period. George hit a 3-pointer to put Los Angeles ahead at 99-96 with 6:41 remaining and built their advantage to 11 points before heading for the finish line.

John Wall added 15 points, Reggie Jackson scored 14 and Norman Powell added 13 off the bench for the Clippers.

Paul George lost 20 of his 32 PTS in the second half to propel the @LAClippers to victory! #ClipperNation@Yg_Trece: 32 PTS (11-16 MGF), 6 AST, 4 15h pic.twitter.com/DStXtmCBDL

—NBA (@NBA) November 5, 2022

Reserve Devin Vassell racked up a career-high 29 points to lead San Antonio, with Tre Jones adding 18, Keldon Johnson adding 16 and Doug McDermott contributing 10 points. The game was the first in a straight series for the Spurs, who play Denver on Saturday.

The Clippers dominated the first quarter, going up to 17 points clear as Jackson and George scored seven points apiece during the period. San Antonio was down to 28-18 at the end of the quarter.

The Spurs came back to tie the game at 50 on Jones’ 3-pointer with 1:53 left in the second quarter. Los Angeles responded with a pair of free throws from George and a layup from Powell, but San Antonio closed out the period with an 8-0 run that featured 3 runs from Vassell and Johnson. Spurs led 58-54 at the break.

Vassell scored 17 points in the half to lead all scorers while Johnson added 12 for San Antonio. George led the Clippers with 12 points and Powell scored 10 off the bench.

Spurs fueled their advantage to 10 points after a float jumper from Jakob Poeltl at 8:08 of the third quarter – then again on another float from Vassell almost midway through the period. Los Angeles held on, coming within three points on a layup off the wall with 1:29 remaining before Spurs settled for an 86-82 lead going into the final 12 minutes.

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