The Clippers fought hard, but ultimately ran out of gas down the stretch, falling to the Jazz 125-112. Keep reading for a full recap of the Clippers’ loss to the Jazz.
Summary
The Clippers started out the game playing pretty well offensively, with Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac carrying the load. The ball movement wasn’t great, but turnovers were limited and the shots were mostly decent. On the other end, however, Lauri Markkanen cooked, and the Jazz created wide open looks nearly every time down. Subs started coming in late, with Nico and Wall in first for Reggie and Amir, then RoCo for Zu. However, the three forward lineup w intact but briefly before Brandon Boston checked in for Morris. At this point, the Jazz threes started dropping in earnest, and their lead grew to double figures. The Clippers answered with a RoCo 3 and some Wall free throws, but trailed by nine after the first quarter.
The Clippers started off the quarter with a great Batum three, but then he responded by fouling Markkanen. The Clippers, not deterred, locked in on defense, consistently forcing stops and getting out in transition. The Wall-Moussa connection worked multiple times to generate dunks and fouls, and the Clippers gained some momentum. Reggie and Zu came back for Wall and Moussa, and the Clippers continued to surge, buoyed by a fantastic defense with RoCo, Nico, and Zu on the court. As the starters trickled back in, the defense fell a bit, with Clarkson nailing a couple threes. However, the Clippers answered right back, sparked by a re-inserted Wall, who finished a dazzling and-one layup in transition to put them back on top entering halftime. The Clippers played a clean first half, with only three turnovers, and forced 10 by the Jazz, giving them the possession battle edge.
Unfortunately, it was too good to be true, and the Clippers’ third quarter began with several miserably bad turnovers that quickly allowed the Jazz to regain the lead. The Clippers fought back, but then the Jazz surged ahead again. The Clippers simply could not keep Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton in front of them, as the Jazz guards waltzed to the rim over and over for layups or dishes. On the other end, the Clippers kept trying to draw a 5th foul on Clarkson instead of running offense. All of a sudden, the Jazz were up 12. Ty Lue finally pulled the plug on the slow and miserable-looking starters, and the energy immediately picked up with the bench unit, as did the defense. The Clips chipped away, and trailed by nine going into the fourth.
The Clippers continued to push, forcing turnovers and getting out in transition. They cut the lead down to three at one point after a Moussa and-one, but the Jazz went on a quick 7-0 run due to Clippers’ turnovers and some lucky offensive rebounds. At this point, however, the wheels fell off due to fatigue. The Clippers kept pushing and playing hard, but the Jazz were faster to loose balls, playing quicker, and just outrunning the Clips. The Jazz lead hit 14, and while the Clippers were able to keep it from growing too much more, they couldn’t bring it back within single digits either, and finally, at the 3:30 mark, Ty Lue saw enough and pulled the starters. Garbage time commenced, and the Clippers lost 125-112.
Notes
Rest Time Needed: The Clippers have played 23 games, while a good chunk of the NBA is still on 19 and 20. That, combined with their injuries forcing guys into heavy minutes, showed in this game. Their vets, especially Reggie, Morris, and Zubac, were all slower than usual, and seemed tired just about from the jump. They will get a couple full days off at home before their next game on Saturday, and that break is desperately needed.
More RiCo: The only times the Clippers’ defense really looked decent in this one was when Robert Covington and Nic Batum were on the court together. Both players were a + in their minutes despite a combined 5-13 shooting for just 16 points, and it’s because they were all over the place on D. RoCo was the only Clipper who had much success against Markkanen, while Batum did a solid job on Clarkson. More importantly than man coverage, their rotations, help defense, and rebounding (for RoCo) helped to force stops and get the Clippers out in transition. While their lineups to start the year weren’t great, the two of them are a natural pairing and have played well in recent games. More, please.
Mixed Bag of Wall: John Wall, as he has been all season, was very inconsistent. There were three minute stretches where he was the best player on the court, and three minute stints where he singlehandedly sunk the Clippers’ efforts. Scoring 26 points in 25 minutes is great, but shooting 7-19 from the field (with many of the misses being absolutely hopeless drives to the rim) is not. Getting to the line 13 times is awesome, and making 12 of them is even better, but too much shooting and not even dishing is rarely what the Clippers will need from Wall. He looks healthy, and his ability to push the pace is invaluable. But he still hasn’t found the right blend of scoring and distributing, especially in the backcourt. Also, while he’s more limber out there than Reggie, the defense has not been good.
