Surging Clippers Cruise Past Jazz in SLC, 117-103
The Utah Jazz could not protect their home court and eventually fell prey to the Los Angeles Clippers 117-103 on Friday night at the Delta Center. This contest marked a second consecutive loss for the Jazz, whose overall record dropped to 7-15 while claiming the No. 12 seed of 15 teams in the Western Conference.
Lately, the Jazz have contended with some of the NBA's best players, and Friday night was no exception as Kawhi Leonard provided a glimpse as to why many basketball experts have selected the Clippers to win the NBA Championship.
The Jazz welcomed Jordan Clarkson and Walker Kessler back into the starting line-up but were without All-Star Lauri Markkanen's services. John Collins attempted to shoulder the load for his team and posted a respectable stat line consisting of 20 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots, two steals, and two assists, while Talen Horton-Tucker, Kelly Olynyk, and Collin Sexton were savvy in their reserve roles by scoring 15, 14, and 14 points, respectively.
At times, Sexton was electric, and the Jazz competed at the highest level. This happened to be a game in which the Clippers were simply the better team. All of the Jazz starters posted negative game scripts led by Keyonte George, who logged a -25 outing.
Rookie Taylor Hendricks logged nearly 12 minutes of action, grabbed one steal, and committed one turnover. It must be a confidence booster for Mr. Hendricks as he tries to remain in the minute's rotation.
The Clippers, on the other hand, received positive ratings from its starters in addition to the maestro performance unleashed by Kawhi Leonard. He dropped a season-high 41 points on 61% shooting, made six three-point shots on eight attempts, connected on all seven free-throws, snagged five rebounds, handed out five assists, and posted a +18 script.
Leonard showed the national audience that he's still a top-tier player in the league when healthy. Center Ivica Zubac joined the party with an 18-point, 12-rebound double-double outing, and Paul George was present with 20 points.
The Clippers have won three consecutive games, have an overall record of 11-10, and rank 9th of 15 teams in the Western Conference.
The Jazz's next contest will be against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night at 6:00 pm. Hopefully, the Jazz will unlock the winning code and rise in the conference standings.
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