The 4-seed Los Angeles Clippers hosted the 1-seed Utah Jazz at Staples Center Monday for Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinal playoff series. The Clippers put on an impressive performance for their home crowd, led by offensive stylings of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Marcus Morris. The Championship contenders, having evened the series, now head to Salt Lake City for Game 5. Your complete Game 4 recap follows below.
GAME SUMMARY
First Half
Much to the surprise of, well, everyone, the Clippers opened Game 4 on a 10-2 run. Opening buckets came from the usual suspects, Leonard, George and Morris.
Defensively, LA was very effective with air-tight man-to-man coverage. The effort saw 3 deflections and 2 turnovers in the first three minutes of play. Halfway through the quarter the Clippers led by 12. By the end of the frame they had extended that lead to 17, on top 30-13.
In the second quarter, it was much of the same. The Clippers’s defense forced the Jazz to play 1:1 ball and stifled their ball movement. On offense, the Clippers aggressively attacked the basket, particularly when Gobert was off the floor.
The Jazz struggled to get stops, could not get anything in the way of transition offense, and settled for bad shots late in the clock. The Clippersβ elite defense was on full display.
The Clippers led by as many as 29 in the second quarter and despite mini runs by Mitchell β he had 17 in the frame – held a 24 point lead at the break, 68-44.
Stats at the Half:
Marcus Morris led the way for LA with 22 points on 6 for 8 shooting, including a perfect 5 for 5 from long. He also snatched 3 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard was also solid with 19 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. He also had the highlight of the half.
Paul George contributed 15 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. Nico Batum also made an impact, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, with 3 steals to go along with 2 points; 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
For the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell was best with 21 points; 1 assist; 2 rebounds. No other Jazz player hit double figures.
The Clippers shot 50 percent from the field and 50 from three point range. The Jazz only connected on 35 percent from the field, and 33.3 percent from three.
The Clippers also fared better than the Jazz in numerous other categories:
- Points in the paint (Clippers 14; Jazz 12)
- 2nd chance points (Clippers 8; Jazz 1)
- Fast break points (Clippers 8; Jazz 3)
- Turnovers (Clippers 2; Jazz 7)
Second Half
The Jazz came out of the break with resolve, connected on a few easy baskets and quickly cut the lead to 20.Β Β Quick time out for Ty Lue to steady the ship.Β
For most of the remainder of second half the Clippers lacked the defensive energy and intensity they showed in the first half. The Jazz were able to push the pace and get better looks earlier in the clock. Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic combined for 24 points, and Mitchell added 16. It was not enough to overcome Utah’s poor start, however, and the team struggled to slow LA’s consistently clicking offense. The Jazz never broke the Clippers’ double digit lead.
Clippers win, 118-104.
Final Stats
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both finished Game 5 with 31 points. Leonard added 3 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot to his stat line while George had 4 assists, 9 rebounds and 1 steal. Marcus Morris was a solid third fiddle with 24 points, 1 assist, 6 rebounds and 1 steal. Nico Batum was also a difference maker, contributing 7 points, 4 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot.
Donovan Mitchell finished with 37 points for the Jazz.
CLIP NOTES
Great Team Effort
Game 5 was a great team effort for the Clippers. Although only three guys hit double figures (Leonard, George, Morris), everyone in the rotation provided meaningful contributions. The squad forced the Jazz to turn the ball over 11 times. They also bagged 10 steals, blocked 7 shots, grabbed 44 rebounds, and logged 19 assists. They shot 46.8 percent from the field on the night, and 40.5 from three.
Of course, although all the Clippers’ players performed well, it was the dynamic duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who sparkled. According to ESPN Stats & Info, George and Leonard are the only the 5th pair since the 1976-77 NBA-ABA merger with 30 points each in back-to-back playoff games. If they continue to play well, at the same time, there is no telling how far this team will go.
Welcome Back to the Offense Mook!
Marcus Morris showed up big this matchup, and the crowd at Staples could not have been happier. Prior to Game 4, Morris was a dismal 1 of 16 from long. During Game 4, Senior got into a rhythm early, going 5 for 5 from three in the first half. Although his offense cooled significantly in the second half, Morris finished the game with a respectable 24 points on 6 for 11 shooting. Hopefully his newfound stroke will continue as the series goes on.
Welcome back to the Defense Mr. 94 Feet!
Patrick Beverly saw an uptick in minutes tonight and made the most of his time on the floor. His back to back blocks on Donovan Mitchell to end the first half were savage. Bev finished the game with a post-season career-high 4 blocks, and his presence on the floor –as both leader and irritant– had impact.
Paul George celebrates his 100th career postseason game.
Game 4 was a milestone for PG-13; his 100th career post-season game. George made it a good one, playing with purpose on both ends of the floor. He was particularly successful with his aggressive downhill play and finishing at the rim. Overrated? I think not. He’s just warming up, folks.
Kawhi Knee Concerns?
Kawhi exited the final quarter with over four minutes left after bumping knees with Joe Ingles. He was not attended to on the bench, so it is unclear if his sitting out the final minutes was purely precautionary or cause for concern. Something to watch.
Kawhi Leonard Named to All-Defensive Team
Off topic, but still good news worth mentioning, the NBA announced today that the Klaw has been named to the All-Defensive Second Team. The announcement marks the third consecutive season and the seventh time in Leonardβs career that he has received All-Defensive Honors.
NEXT UP:
Game 5 between the Clippers and Jazz is set for Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. at Vivint Arena, Utah.
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