The four-game winning streak came to an end Wednesday night as the L.A. Clippers (16-13) fell on the road to the Utah Jazz (20-7), 124-103. Marcus Morris Sr. led the way for LA, churning in a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds. Eric Bledsoe had a great game off the bench with 21 points (8-10 FG, 4-5 3PT), five rebounds, and eight assists. In just 25 minutes of action due to him dealing with an apparent lingering thigh ailment, Reggie Jackson added in 15 points, five rebounds, and a season-high nine assists. For the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell led the team in scoring for the eighth straight game, notching 27 points, six assists, and two steals. Read on for our full Clippers vs. Jazz game recap.
Summary
In a matchup featuring two of the NBA’s Top 5 defenses, and its clear best offense in the Jazz, perhaps the least likely outcome took place in the first quarter — an entertaining shootout. Marcus Morris Sr. needed little time to heat up, knocking in 11 points in the frame on 4-for-5 shooting (2-2 3PT). With the greenest of lights, Luke Kennard came out firing as well. Turning the corner on a pick to beat Hassan Whiteside for a layup, knocking down 3s both off the catch and the dribble, and pulling up for a middy at the stripe, Kennard looked right at home. So much so in fact that he seemingly corrected the Jazz PA announcer on how to pronounce his name. Reggie Jackson seemed pretty gassed early on against Mike Conley, allowing him to get to his spots multiple times before being subbed out at the 7:47 mark. On the Jazz’s side of things, their offense looked as polished as Tyronn Lue mentioned pregame, racking up 11 assists without any turnovers. Rudy Gay and Whiteside appear to be fitting in well. After one, Utah led 35-31.
The Canoes’ effort was on full display once again in the second quarter, with Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Hartenstein mostly leading the charge. As Utah keyed in on Morris Sr. and Kennard, Bledsoe was the high man here for LAC with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field (2-2 3PT). Just about a minute into the frame, Ivica Zubac picked up his third foul on Gobert. In his stead was Hartenstein, who was handed just one citation in 10 minutes while showing off that trusty floater once again. While the Clippers led by as much as seven with an aggressive 12-0 run, two of the Jazz’s made men in Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanović got loose to scratch Utah right where they itched. With both teams shooting 52% from the field at the break, Utah held a 65-59 advantage.
With the Clippers’ energy dwindling to start the third quarter, the Jazz smelled blood in the water and proceeded to execute. Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley broke out to combine for 20 points as the Utah lead swelled to as much as 17 points. Bledsoe was essentially a one-man show for most of the period before Morris Sr. found his rhythm again, keeping LAC competitive with a personal 7-0 scoring run. Heading to the fourth, the Jazz led 93-81.
While the Clippers showed some signs of life, bringing the deficit down to as much as seven early in the fourth, the Jazz offense was just too much to contain for the limited crew. The highlight of the frame for LA was Justise Winslow breaking up a pass and Jackson dropping it off for a Brandon Boston Jr. dunk. This ended up being the Clippers’ lone points off of turnovers for the entire night. With LAC down 97-106 with 6:05 remaining, Utah went on a convincing 8-0 run to force Lue to throw in the towel with 4:26 left and secure their eighth straight.
Clippers vs. Jazz Game Notes
- A Historic Regular Season Offense: The Jazz came into tonight ranked first in plenty of the league’s offensive metrics, and they certainly showed why in the second half as the Clippers slowed down. Albeit some of the numbers in the stat sheet tonight were inflated due to the extra garbage time, the Jazz had four players finish with at least 20 points, knocked in 15 triples, shot 52.8% from the field, and tallied 26 assists. This feels a bit familiar considering the historic shooting numbers the Clippers put up last season. To the Clippers’ credit in this one, they were able to keep up in scoring, and even break up a lot of the Jazz’s stuff for most of the night. Without the wings and the ability to go small, however, it’s incredibly tough to contain the Jazz’s assortment of ball-handlers for a whole game.
- Baller Showing from Bledsoe: Off of the bench, Eric Bledsoe tallied his first game with at least 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists, according to Law Murray. With the way Reggie Jackson was clearly limited out there tonight, the shorthanded squad certainly needed someone else to step up and he delightfully delivered.
- Harten-time: The Isaiah Hartenstein training-camp pickup continues to show its worth. With Ivica Zubac struggling with foul trouble, the big man impressively played his usual unselfish game against both Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside, chalking in a season-high 15 points to boot.
Up Next: The Clippers will cap off their brief two-game trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on Saturday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m. PT.
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