The Clippers pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history, going from being down 25 points at the start of the 3rd quarter to winning by 12 over the Jazz in Game 6, 131-119. It was a total team effort, showcasing the heart, resilience, and toughness of these Clippers, and the incredible staying power of the 2021 iteration of this team.
Summary
The game started off ominously, with Donovan Mitchell hitting his first couple shots, including two tough threes. On the other hand, in a trend that would continue all game, Terance Mann showed up in a big way, making two shots from deep of his own, and then throwing down a putback dunk over Rudy Gobert. The two high-powered offenses went back and forth, with neither gaining much of an edge over the other, and the period ended with the Jazz up two.
The second quarter started with a barrage from Jordan Clarkson, but he was answered initially by Paul George. When PG went to the bench, however, the Clippers’ offense fell apart. Rajon Rondo could not do anything, nor could Luke Kennard or Reggie Jackson, and the Jazz turned the Clippers’ misses into transition buckets and mismatches. Clarkson, at one point, scored 15 straight points, and the Clippers fell down by 18 in the blink of an eye. The starters were brought back in, but the avalanche had started, and seemed impossible to stop. Mitchell continued to hit, and the Clippers’ offense appeared as lifeless as their defense. The result was a 22 point deficit at halftime.
The third quarter started with a Mitchell three and two horrible Clippers’ turnovers. The Jazz lead stood at 25, and hope (at least on Twitter) seemed gone. But the Clippers, as they have all season, kept battling. A quick 9-0 run cut the lead to 16, and the Jazz were forced to take time. After settling for threes, the Jazz went back to dribble penetration, and got some shots to fall to push their lead back to 21. By this point, however, the Clippers’ offense was in rhythm. Reggie Jackson played as well as he has in his entire career, continuously breaking his defender off the dribble and getting to the lane to score or kick out to threes. The guy receiving many of those threes? One Terance Mann, who could not seem to miss from deep, and who had several beautiful drives to the rim as well. A dash of zone defense threw off the Jazz, and as misses piled up, the Clippers kept coming. A wild sequence ending in a Jackson three had the lead down to just three entering the final frame.
The 4th quarter was bedlam in Staples Center, with the crowd on their feet the entire time, and making the most noise of perhaps any Clippers game, ever. The Clippers rewarded the faith of their diehards by tying the game on a Batum three, then seizing the lead on a Reggie drive. The Jazz fought back, but a couple minutes of seesawing ended with the Clippers gaining and slowly growing their advantage. The Jazz shots became more and more forced, with Mitchell, Conley, and Clarkson taking the bulk of the shos from deep. On the other end, Jackson and George ran the offense like a well-oiled machine, with both guys making tough shots and continuously making the right pass. Despite some threes from Bojan Bogdanovic and offensive rebounds by Royce O’Neale, the Clippers never faltered, and two massive threes by Pat Beverley put the game out of reach for good. Ty Lue subbed each guy who had been part of that 4th quarter unit (Mann, Beverley, Jackson, George, and Batum) off the court to thunderous applause, and the Clippers closed out Game 6 over the Jazz 131-119.
Notes
Mama, There Goes that Mann: Terance Mann’s previous scoring high in the NBA was 24 points. He had 39 in this Game 6, on 15-21 shooting, with 7-10 from deep and making both of his free throws, absolutely carrying the Clippers over the Jazz. Add in some great defense for good measure, and you have a simply incredible performance from a second-year player who was out of the rotation as recently as Game 2. Mann made every big shot, made every right decision, showed no fear in attacking the rim, and was capable of defending every Jazz player on the other end. Terance may never play this well again, but for one night, the NBA was buzzing about Terance Mann, and that will never, ever be taken away from him. A simply spectacular showing from Mann in every single facet of the game, and enough to launch him into Clippers’ legend status.
Reggie “Mr. June” Jackson: For all the praise that Mann will get (and rightfully so), it was Reggie “Big Government” Jackson who took the game over for the Clippers in the second half. After an invisible showing in the first half, Jackson scored 22 points and dished 10 assists to close the game out. He, too, was fearless attacking Rudy Gobert around the basket, and had a couple high-arcing floaters that were just delightful to watch. Even his defense, much-maligned, sharpened down the stretch, and he seemingly never tired despite the heavy ball-handling load. This playoff run has cemented Jackson, too, as a mythic figure in Clippers’ lore, and also been one of the most improbable runs in NBA history (yeah, I said it). Hang his goggles in the rafters in Inglewood.
Paul George Shakes Off Doubters: Paul George did not have an explosive scoring game. He scored just 28 points, and did so on an inefficient 24 shots. But he was a steadying hand all game, and hit several crucial jumpers in the 4th quarter to sustain the Clippers’ lead. His defense was extremely impressive as well, and he continued to chip in as a rebounder (nine boards) and playmaker (seven dimes) even when his shot wasn’t falling. Most importantly, he was the undoubted leader for the Clippers without Kawhi Leonard, and shook off the skeptics that have been gnawing at him for years. Playoff P, indeed.
What a Moment for Pat Bev: It’s been a tough year for Patrick Beverley, the longest tenured Clipper. He’s been injured, he’s been rusty, and he was out of the rotation for much of last series against the Mavs. But in Game 6, he was huge for the Clippers, as he has been all series against the Jazz, with his pesky and energetic defense being a massive reason for the Clippers’ ability to slow down Mitchell. Even better, after looking unable to do anything offensively against the Mavs, he hit those two threes down the stretch, including a deep one over Bojan Bogdanovic from the wing, putting the seal on the Clippers’ win. It’s been a long road for Pat, the heart and soul of this Clippers’ team for so long, but tonight he came threw when the Clippers needed him.
Ty Lue Presses All the Right Buttons: Outside of that one awful stretch in the second quarter, Ty Lue coached a brilliant game. He cut Ivica Zubac and Rajon Rondo out of the rotation, and played Luke Kennard just a couple minutes, swiftly pulling him after Donovan Mitchell attacked him a few times in a row. His willingness to trim the rotation to just six (starters and Beverley) was huge, as was his riding the tiny Pat-Reggie-PG-Mann-Batum lineup down the stretch without mainstay Marcus Morris. The Clippers’ zone defense was deployed perfectly to slow the Jazz, as was their use of random traps to get the ball out of Mitchell’s hands. It was a masterful performance by Lue, who continues to make up for early-series blunders in spades later on.
Well, that about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ historic Game 6 win over the Jazz. Celebrate in the comments below!
