Two weeks ago, the Jazz won on the Clippers’ floor by resisting 34 points from Paul George. The latter, embarrassed in the hamstrings, was absent last night but the Californians took their revenge. Rather than the clumsy, time-limited Kawhi Leonard, Norman Powell and Reggie Jackson secured the mark to make up for the lack of “PG.”
The two had already scored 15 points each following a first period largely dominated by the Clippers. After a buzzer shot from midfielder John Wall, who lost as many balls as he delivered assists (8!), the locals had a ten-point lead (34-24).
Under the impetus of this same replacement leader and thanks to the 3-point address of Norman Powell, the Clippers will offer themselves up to 17 points ahead in the second quarter (52-35). With a good passage from Collin Sexton, helped by Jordan Clarkson, the Jazz returned to the locker room with a more acceptable delay (66-56).
Carried by the 11 points scored in the third quarter of Lauri Markkanen, Will Hardy’s men reacted with authority by posting a 37-22 in 12 minutes to take the lead before the last corner (88-93). This playoff match finally shifted to the advantage of the locals who counted on this Powell-Jackson duo, and “50/50 balls” more often in their favor, to better manage the “money time” and end up impose.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– No size advantage for Utah. Will Hardy relied heavily on his pair of Lauri Markkanen – Kelly Olynyk interiors where his counterpart only called on his incumbent, Ivica Zubac, author of a solid double-double, to fight under the circle . The Clippers even played without a pivot once morest the two great Jazz, especially at the start of the fourth quarter, without the visitors really benefiting from it. In the end, the Jazz certainly narrowly won the rebound battle but collected a few more points in their racket (60-52).
– Decisive “Challenge” for Tyronn Lue. His team led by five points (117-112) with just under a minute to play, Talen Horton-Tucker had plenty to be proud of. On the counter-attack, he had just signed an elegant finish in the circle with a big hang time (and an equally blatant walk…) despite contact with Amir Coffey. A potential 2+1 action contested by the Clippers coach and finally canceled by the referees. An offensive foul was finally whistled, which allowed the locals to approach this last minute much more calmly, with always these two possessions in advance.
– Utah keeps the lead. Despite their loss, the fourth in six games, the Jazz are still leaders in their conference. But for how long ? The Salt Lake City franchise has a “half” victory ahead of the Suns, Nuggets and their evening opponents. A small series of defeats can hurt a lot in this hyper-dense Western conference: the first ten teams are held in just… two games!
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Norman Powell/Reggie Jackson. When the leaders are withdrawn or injured, they know how to deal with it. The two Clippers responded by each signing their best offensive production of the season. Norman Powell was particularly clean and varied the circle attacks with 3-point shots. A little more waste in shooting for the second who had to run the shop with the ball in hand. We note his superb pass in the back, in a mouse hole, for the dunk of Ivica Zubac in the fourth quarter following a “pick”. Another notable fact, unlike his wasteful replacement, he did not lose a ball.
✅ Kelly Olynyk. While Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson assumed their responsibilities in attack, the Canadian signed a game a little more in the shadows but hyper complete and with enormous efficiency: 19 points scored in just 7 shots! The interior thus ends with the best evaluation of the game (30) tied with Norman Powell.
⛔ Malik Beasley. While he was averaging 28 points for two games and had just played eight straight games at 10 points or more, the Jazz shooter missed it. The back, however, benefited from good positions, like this shot in the corner in transition, regarding twenty seconds from the end to bring his team back to possession. His -14 score is the worst of the game, tied with Nickeil Alexander-Walker who, in particular, sent a ball into the stands.
THE FOLLOWING
Clippers (11-7) : trip to the Warriors, Wednesday.
Jazz (12-7) : reception of the Pistons, Wednesday.
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