(REUTERS, AFP) - Terance Mann scored a career-high 39 points and the Los Angeles Clippers stormed back for a 131-119 win over the visiting Utah Jazz to clinch a 4-2 series victory on Friday (June 18) and advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.
The fourth-seeded Clippers, who trailed by 25 points in the third quarter, will face the second-seeded Phoenix Suns for the right to go to the NBA Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.
In the Eastern Conference, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers played with more urgency, using a collective offensive effort to come from behind on Friday night and force a Game 7 in their NBA play-off semi-finals series.
Tobias Harris and Seth Curry each scored 24 points and Embiid tallied 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Sixers overcame a double-digit first-half deficit to beat the upstart Atlanta Hawks 104-99.
Curry also had six threes. Game 7 will be on Sunday at the home arena of the top-seeded 76ers.
Los Angeles dropped the first two games of their series before closing out with four straight wins to advance to the conference finals. The Clippers moved on despite playing the past two games without star forward Kawhi Leonard, who has a sprained right knee.
Mann hit 15 of 21 shots from the floor, including 7 of 10 from three-point range.
He had never scored more than 25 points in a regular-season game, and his previous postseason high was 13.
Paul George scored 28 points for Los Angeles while Reggie Jackson added 27 points and 10 assists. Nicolas Batum contributed 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and Patrick Beverley had 12 points.
Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed nine rebounds for the Jazz. Despite playing with a sore right ankle, he made 12 of 27 shots from the field, including 9 of 15 from beyond the arc.
Utah's Royce O'Neal put up 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jordan Clarkson also scored 21. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 14 points, and Rudy Gobert had 12 points and 10 boards.
The Jazz led 94-91 entering the fourth quarter. The Clippers trailed by 22 points at halftime but rallied with a 41-22 advantage in the third quarter.
Mann scored 20 points in the third to fuel the Clippers' comeback. He averaged seven points per game during his second regular season out of Florida State, from where the Clippers drafted him No. 48 overall in 2019.
Utah led 72-50 at the half after Bogdanovic drilled a three-pointer with 29.9 seconds to go.
Mitchell hit a three-pointer to increase Utah's lead to 25 points on the first possession of the second half. George responded with a cutting dunk less than 30 seconds later, starting an 11-0 run that sparked the Clippers' comeback.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia's win means both Eastern Conference semi-final series will go to a Game 7 after the Milwaukee Bucks won Game 6 against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.
The 76ers pushed the series to the limit after the heartbreak of letting two potential wins in Games 4 and 5 slip through their fingers.
Tyrese Maxey added 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the 76ers, who rebounded after blowing a 26-point lead at home in Game 5.
Trae Young finished with 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Huerter had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Danilo Gallinari contributed 16 points for Atlanta, who are seeking to reach the East finals for the first time in six years.
Philadelphia led 80-76 at the end of the third quarter. Clint Capela made a put-back dunk with 14 seconds remaining to cut the Sixers' lead to just three, 100-97.
Philadelphia's Harris then hit two free throws to boost the lead to five points with 13 seconds left. Huerter made a jump shot but then Harris sealed the victory with two more free throws.
