Once again, the Clippers find themselves down 0-2. But, as Ty Lue said at the outset of this playoff round, every series with different: There are reasons to feel optimistic and reasons to see this hole as deeper than that of the first round. Fortunately, this time, the Clippers have an opprotunity to start their series comeback on their home court. Read on for a full preview of the Clippers’ Game 3 against the Jazz.
Game Information
Where: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA
When: 5:30pm PT
How to Watch: ABC
How to Listen: AM 570 LA Sports
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – Marcus Morris – Ivica Zubac
Jazz: Donovan Mitchell – Joe Ingles – Bojan Bogdanovic – Royce O’Neale – Rudy Gobert
Injuries
Clippers: Serge Ibaka (Back) – Out
Jazz: Mike Conley (Hamstring Strain) – Questionable
The Big Picture
The Clippers lost two competitive games in Salt Lake City to a Jazz team that had the best home court record in the league this season (31-5). In those two games, the Clippers shot 44.7% from the field and 37.5% from three, while the Jazz shot 47.3% FG% and 41.6% 3P%. All told, the Clippers lost both games by a combined nine points, so an optimistic Clippers fan might be justified in believing that the team is just a few rotation tweaks and slightly better shooting away from turning the tables on the Jazz. Looking through the first two box scores of this series strengthens that optimism.
First, Marcus Morris, Sr. — who had the second best three-point shooting percentage during the regular season at 47.3% — is shooting an abysmal 7.1% from deep through the first two games. If Morris made one or two more open shots in Utah, the Clippers might have stolen a road win. The “Law of Averages” suggests that Morris is due for a good game (or two, or four, please).
What’s more, Morris was not the only Clipper who struggled to hit an open shot in Game 2. Nicolas Batum also missed an open corner three and Paul George missed several good looks, ultimately finishing just 8/18 from the field overall. Again, the Clippers have been generating good looks — they just are not falling at a high enough rate. In Game 3, the Clippers need to trust their ball movement and keep shooting until they escape the slump.
Ty Lue’s rotations have also been questionable. Game 2 saw a little too much of DeMarcus Cousins, who had a few good moments but went on to hurt the Clippers in his second deployment of the second quarter. He was blocked twice by Gobert, turned the ball over by traveling, and was -7 in the 4:33-1:17min stretch of the second quarter, when the Jazz started to pull away from the Clippers. He did not play in the second half, which the Clippers won by seven points. Hopefully, we see more Batum in Game 3 on the home court.
Finally (and most importantly), the Clippers’ two stars — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George — have come up short so far this series. Aside from the fact that Donovan Mitchell is playing at a superstar level, Kawhi and PG are not scoring enough to deliver the Clippers wins. Combined, they are averaging 45.5 points to Mitchell’s 41. PG has been inefficient but has at least been aggressive and gotten to the free throw line. Kawhi, on the other hand, has been floating, without any sustained offensive production.
If those two do not combine for 55+ points per game going forward, the Clippers will be in trouble. That said, it seems more likely than not that Kawhi will be more aggressive on the Clippers’ home court. There is no more time to be deferential.
The Antagonist
The biggest source of anxiety for Clippers fans is simply the season series record. Yes, the Clippers won four-out-of-five games to overcome the Mavericks, but the Jazz are a much better team. They are deeper, better coached, and play much quicker and sharper than the Mavericks.
Moreover, although Kawhi and PG should be able to produce more on the offensive end, it is entirely possible that they are still drained from the energy they put in during the Mavericks series. Specifically, they went from playing 40+ minutes in a seven game series to playing at altitude barely two days later. And, with only one game between second round games, the two might not be recovered enough to mount a series comeback against this very quick and relatively rested Jazz team. PG, for example, has been caught flat-footed guarding Mitchell several times so far this series. Although Mitchell is a very fast player, one would not expect George to be so soft at the point of attack. Perhaps he is still getting his legs back from the load he carried in round one.
Along those lines, the perimeter defense overall has also been an issue. After seven games of defending pick-and-pops and a score-first ball handler, the Clippers have once again found themselves struggling to execute their drop coverage (or whatever it is that their trying to run on a given play). The Clippers should be able to improve the coverage, now that they have more game tape; the question, however, is if they have enough time to figure it out. As mentioned throughout the preview, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the two main guys who need to step up if the Clippers are to beat the Jazz in Game 3.
Finally, on a smaller point, the Clippers are not going to get the same level of home court advantage as the Jazz are getting in Salt Lake City. While the Jazz are playing in front of a packed house, Los Angeles is still limiting capacity for arenas (for good reason, for what it’s worth). Sure, the Mavericks had a better home court advantage in the first round but, again, the Jazz are a much better team, so things like home court matter more.
Notes
Where in the world is Terence Mann?: As discussed on our Game 3 preview podcast, Ty Lue needs to find minutes for Mann. He is too impactful of a player to only play eight minutes in Game 1 and one minute in Game 2. To be fair, Reggie Jackson has been fantastic as a scorer, Pat Beverley has been effective on defensive, and Kennard has a higher scoring potential, so finding minutes for everyone can be tough. On the whole, however, Mann need more minutes — and it is that simple.
See you next year, Serge: On Friday, the Clippers formally announced what we all feared: Serge Ibaka is out for the reminder of the playoffs. He had a successful back surgery on Thursday and is expected to make a full recovery. Godspeed, Serge! The best is yet to come.
That about does it for this preview of Game 3 between the Clippers and Jazz. Leave your comments below!