PAUL GEORGE scored 41 points, Reggie Jackson added 23 and the resilient Los Angeles Clippers staved off elimination by beating the Phoenix Suns 116-102 Monday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

The Clippers have been counted out multiple times in this postseason. That continues to be a mistake.

“The group of guys we’ve got, I love those guys. They compete every single night no matter who is on the floor,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “The work’s not done, but we came into a hostile environment and got a gritty win.

“We’ve got to do it again two more times.”

The series moves back to Los Angeles with the Suns holding a 3-2 advantage.

The short-handed Clippers were playing without two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and center Ivica Zubac, who missed his first game of the season with an MCL sprain in his right knee. They’ve already fought through two grueling series wins in these playoffs, coming back from 2-0 deficits to beat both the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz.

Now they’re trying to claw back against the Suns. Game 5 was a good start.

George was fantastic after a tough shooting night in Game 4, pouring in 20 points in the third quarter. He finished 15 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range and added 13 rebounds and six assists.

“If they were going to finish this series, they were going to have to work for it,” George said. “That’s just the mentality we had. We weren’t going to back down. We weren’t going to throw in the towel. The fact of the matter is they’ve got to beat us.”

Marcus Morris Sr., who played for Phoenix earlier in his career, added 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting.(SD-Agencies)