WATCH: Clippers complete biggest comeback of season after trailing by 26 points vs. Cavs

Despite trailing by 26 points against the Cavaliers this Sunday afternoon, the Clippers came out victorious 120-118 after completing their largest comeback of the campaign. The winners were inspired by Paul George’s performance, who outscored Cleveland by himself 23-30 in the fourth quarter, and dropping the final dagger with 7.1 seconds on the clock. 

Believe it or not, following his last two-pointer, the veteran guard then blocked a driving layup by Darius Garland with 1.7 seconds left to the final buzzer. Then, as time expired, Cavs forward Max Strus missed a go-ahead shot from beyond the arc, as the Los Angeles squad secured the third-biggest regular-season comeback triumph in franchise history.

The 33-year-old ended up scoring 39 points in total, alongside his 11 rebounds and 7 assists. His teammate James Harden also contributed with 22 points, while Norman Powell, Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac all scored 14 each.

Paul George in the clutch this season:

76 PTS
48.7% FG
40.0% 3PT
93.8% FT
71.6% TS pic.twitter.com/juVDCjsbIZ

— StatMamba (@StatMamba) April 8, 2024

“It was a collective team win,” Paul insisted postgame. “I can’t take credit for none of it without them. It couldn’t have happened without those guys chipping in and doing what they do.”

However, the superstar revealed that receiving 80 points in the first half does not reflect what his team wants. “These situations aren’t ideal, but it’s nice when posed with these challenges that we come together and we find a way to kind of just rally together,” he said. “I thought this was a game where we really just dug down and that second half was just special. Everybody was locked in defensively.

“I thought we got the stops that we needed to convert and we took care of the ball and a lot of luck had to happen, but I thought we were in position to allow the luck to help.”

His coach Tyronn Lue also admitted that giving up 40 points in the first quarter wasn’t ideal, and had to challenge his players. “In the first half, it was just straight line drives,” shared the tactician. “One-on-one. Like, it wasn’t pick and rolls. It was one-on-one. Short closeouts, guys raising up for three… At halftime we challenged our guys.”

The Cleveland roster couldn’t believe they gave up last night’s victory as they really “needed this win”

“Disappointed. We needed this win,” Isaac Okoro said after his team scored 80 points in the first half, in what was his first appearance after four games on the sidelines. “Just a very disappointing loss. Think we all know right now we need wins. Wanted this one bad.”

The Cavaliers are well aware of their position in the Eastern Conference standings, especially as they’ve gone 3-7 in their last 10 outings. Now it seems they might have to compete in a first-round matchup against the Knicks, a showdown no one is Cleveland wants given New York’s current hype.

Darius Garland revealed that this loss really hits deep. “This one hurt,” shared the Cavs guard. “We move on to the next one. Three more games left in the season. Have to up our intensity and up our focus so we can win these next three and look forward to the (playoffs).”

Teammate Evan Mobley still can’t get past the fact that they almost had this victory secured. “We should’ve had it,” he added. “Everyone feels like we should’ve had it. We didn’t finish. That’s it.”