The Clippers take on the Utah Jazz at home in Game 6 after a triumphant win Wednesday night with a chance to close out the series and move on to their first ever Conference Finals. Keep reading for a full preview of Game 6 between the Clippers and Jazz.
Game Information
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN
Projected Starting Lineups
Jazz: Donovan Mitchell – Royce O’Neal – Joe Ingles – Bojan Bogdanovic – Rudy Gobert
Clippers: Reggie Jackson – Terance Mann – Paul George – Marcus Morris – Nic Batum
Injuries
Jazz: Donovan Mitchell Questionable (Ankle), Mike Conley Questionable (Hamstring)
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Serge Ibaka Out (Back)
The Big Picture
The Clippers put together one of the best wins in franchise history on Wednesday night in Utah, taking out the Jazz 119 – 111 in front of a raucous crowd. The Clippers were keyed from start to finish by Paul George, who finished the game with 37 points on 22 shots while collecting 16 rebounds, looking every inch the superstar the Clippers traded for to win a championship nearly two years ago. However, it was not a one-man mission, but a team effort, with nearly every player on the roster stepping up to perform their part. Marcus Morris chipped in an efficient 25 points, Reggie Jackson scored 12 of his 22 points in the 4th quarter, and the rest of the roster contributed defense with timely buckets and rebounding.
Most importantly, the Clippers’ mental fortitude was again on display. A major weakness not long ago, this Clippers’ team seems to have nerves of iron. The Jazz started off the game with a ridiculous three-point barrage that may have wilted Clippers’ teams of yore. This group, however, battled the entire time and never let the Jazz out of range. When the shooting cooled down, the Clippers took control in a dominant third quarter, and never let go. Impressive stuff all around.
The Antagonist
The Jazz, conversely, are in a tough spot. They’ve lost three games in a row, and with it a dominant 2-0 lead and homecourt advantage. They simply haven’t had any answers for the Clippers’ small ball lineups, devolving largely into iso-ball and pullup threes instead of running their actual offense. On defense, despite the best efforts of Rudy Gobert, they have surrendered dribble penetration to the Clippers which has led to open shots for the Clips’ bevy of three-point snipers. Simply, they’ve been outplayed on both ends of the court, and don’t have many other options in their rotation to get them out of it.
The other story with the Jazz are injuries. You won’t find many sympathetic ears among Clippers’ fans, not after Kawhi Leonard’s injury, but the Jazz desperately miss Mike Conley. They need his creation, his shotmaking, his playmaking, and his ability to break down a defense and throw defenders into rotation. Additionally, Mitchell’s ankle has started to look the worse for wear, especially in Game 5. 14 of Mitchell’s 19 shots were from deep, showing his decreasing ability to get to the rim and break down the defense. Still, every shot he takes is a held breath from Clippers’ fans, and if the Jazz are to regain homecourt advantage and force a Game 7, they will likely need a huge game from Mitchell.
Notes
The Rondo Dilemma: With Kawhi Leonard out, the Clippers are short a massive amount of playmaking and creation. Naturally, eyes turned to veteran guard Rajon Rondo in Game 5 after he was out of the rotation for the past two games. Unfortunately, while Rondo wasn’t quite as bad as he was in Games 1 or 2, he was still utterly ineffective – he missed his only shot, coughed up a bad turnover, and was forgetful at best on defense. Rondo only received 9 minutes of action, and even that was probably too much considering Terance Mann played 26, Luke Kennard 20, and Pat Beverley 17, and all of them were vastly superior to Rondo. That said, going away from him entirely for an 8-man rotation is probably not in the cards, but a very short leash is needed. It’s become clear with Rondo that it’s obvious on which nights h does or does not have it, and if he looks bad after his first few minutes, that should be all for him. Game 6 would be a great, great time for Playoff Rondo to make his debut Clippers appearance.
Morris Creation: With Leonard out, Marcus Morris stepped into the second option role with George the primary creator, and he did so well. Morris poured in 25 points on an efficient 10-16 shooting. And, importantly, he did so in different ways than he has all season, when he’s mostly been a spot up shooter. Only four of his attempts came from deep, with most of the others coming out of the midrange. Morris can get those shots, and while they’re not a great option due to middling inefficiency and his mediocre playmaking out of them, they are at least consistent-ish. When George is out of the game for his brief rests, Morris’ shot creation from the midrange will become more important. If he can keep creating and sustain the offense, the Clippers should have a good shot at winning.
That about does it for this preview of Game 6 between the Clippers and the Jazz. Leave your comments below!
