The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz, 119-111, at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal-round series. The Clippers now lead the series, 3-2.

The Clippers (3-2) received some extremely daunting news prior to tip-off, as Kawhi Leonard was ruled out for Wednesday's contest, at minimum due to a knee injury that could keep him out a lot longer. Los Angeles knew that some of its complementary players outside of Paul George would need to step up, and it became evident they could be up to the task during a first half in which they put up 60 points and finished trailing by just five points. However, the third quarter, as it often does, changed the trajectory of the game, with the visitors outscoring Utah by a 32-18 margin. Armed with a nine-point edge heading into the final period, L.A. withstood several charges from the Jazz, including a pair that got them as close as four points, before escaping with an upset victory.

George led the way for the Clippers with 37 points, complementing them with16 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. Marcus Morris furnished 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Reggie Jackson delivered 22 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Terance Mann totaled 13 points, two boards, two assists and two steals.

Bojan Bogdanovic paced the Jazz with 32 points, adding three rebounds. Donovan Mitchell supplied 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Rudy Gobert generated a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double that also includes one assist and one steal. Jordan Clarkson netted 15 points. Joe Ingles and Royce O'Neale generated matching 12-point tallies while pulling down seven and six rebounds, respectively. Ingles also added six assists.

The series shifts back to Staples Center, where the two teams reconvene for Game 6 on Friday night.