The Clippers are on the road in Utah for their last easy game before their schedule gets really tough heading into the All-Star Break.
Game Information
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
When: 7:00 PM PT
How to Watch: NBC, Peacock, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570
Projected Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac
Jazz: Isaiah Collier – Svi Mykhailiuk – Ace Bailey – Lauri Markkanen – Kyle Filipowski
Injuries
Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Questionable (Knee), Kris Dunn Questionable (Ankle), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bogdan Bogdanovic Out (Hamstring), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)
Jazz: Lauri Markkanen Questionable (Conditioning), Jusuf Nurkic Doubtful (Illness), Walker Kessler Out (Shoulder), Keyonte George Out (Rest), Georges Niang Out (Foot)
The Big Picture
The Clippers secured one of their easiest wins of the season on Sunday, leading wire-to-wire against the hapless Nets to move to just three games under .500. It’s been a rather remarkable turnaround by the Clippers, whose 15-3 stretch in the past 18 games required me to eat my words live on podcast last night. There was a bit of a scary moment in that game when Kris Dunn hobbled to the locker room, but he was available to return if needed and is questionable for this one, so any sort of long-term injury appears to have been avoided. The Clippers have a rotation they are comfortable with and starting to get a rhythm, and hopefully can remain healthy through the All-Star break to keep their momentum going.
The Antagonist
The Jazz’s hot start to the season probably feels like a lifetime ago for their fans. The Jazz have continued to slip down the Western Conference standings: they are now firmly in 13th place (4.5 games of 12th) and are just four games up on the last-seeded Pelicans. Considering the Pelicans have no incentive to tank this year and the Jazz have every reason to tank, it seems likely that the Jazz fall to 14th or 15th in the West (the Kings should tank but who knows what they’ll do). Keyonte George is having a monster season but continues to sit out games, as does Lauri Markkanen, and the rest of the roster does not have enough offensive juice to drive consistent winning. Keep an eye out for Brice Sensabaugh, who can go on heaters where he looks unguardable.
Notes
Get the Win: Similarly to last game against the Nets, this is a game that the Clippers just have to win, regardless of how banged up they are themselves. The Jazz are clearly trying to tank, and while they have young talent, the Clippers should be able to punish them in all facets of the game. As long as the Clippers don’t turn the ball over like crazy and let the young Jazz get out in transition, they should be fine. Just play smart, play hard, and get the dub before the schedule gets hard.