What to watch for: Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Clippers
Donovan Mitchell (45) dunks over Kawhi Leonard (2), Luke Kennard (5), and Nicolas Batum (33)
Jordan Clarkson's unbelievable 40-point effort led the Utah Jazz to a 134-123 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. The Jazz will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers at the Staples Center on Wednesday and Friday.
Jazz vs Clippers Throwback:
Utah and Los Angeles have met a total of 188 times during the lifetime of these two squads. The Jazz lead the Clippers in wins 108-80 and are currently on a two-game winning streak against Kawhi Leonard and company.
The Jazz and Clippers faced-off on New Years Day, where Utah took the win 106-100. Mike Conley tied his career high with 7-three pointers and finished with 33-points and 7-assists in the Jazz victory.
Key Players:
Jordan Clarkson and Marcus Morris will be the two players to keep your eye on during the next two games.
Clarkson has been instrumental in the Jazz successes during the 2020-2021 season. His offense off the bench has wreaked havoc on opposing defenses with the Philadelphia 76ers being the most recent victim. Clarkson is currently second on the team in points per game, averaging 18.2, and steals with an average of 0.9 per game.
With Paul George being out, and Kawhi Leonard being questionable for Wednesday nights game against the Jazz, I figured that I'd go with the guy who will be facing Clarkson during this matchup. Marcus Morris is third on the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game, ranking only behind George and Leonard. He also leads the team in three-point field goal percentage with 50.5%.
Fun Facts:
Once again, the Jazz will break out their home-white uniforms against the Clippers. They will wear the association jerseys for both games in LA, and when all is said and done, it will equal their third time wearing these uniforms against the Clippers this year. The Jazz are currently 10-2 in the white jerseys with their last win in them coming against the Milwaukee Bucks, just under a week ago.
Mike Conley (10) dishes off a pass against the Los Angeles Clippers
On Utah's side of the injury report, Mike Conley's status is listed as questionable with a tight right hamstring injury. On the Clippers side of the injury report, Paul George has been listed as out for Wednesday's game against the Jazz due to a toe injury, Kawhi Leonard is questionable for Wednesday night's matchup with a lower leg injury, and Nicolas Batum is out for Wednesday's game with a concussion.
The Jazz continue as top dog in the NBA with a 23-5 record. They are currently one and a half games ahead of the Lakers (22-7), and two and a half games ahead of the Clippers (21-8) in the Western Conference. Utah is also five games ahead of the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia 76ers (18-10). Utah's victory over the 76ers on Monday night continues their eight-game winning streak, while also making them 19-1 in their last 20-games.
The Los Angeles Clippers are currently 4-1 in their last five games. They are in third place in the Western Conference behind the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers with a 21-8 record.
The Jazz were named as the first place team in the power rankings of ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, and others on Monday for the first time this season.
Head Coach Quin Snyder has been named as the Western Conference Head Coach in the 2021 NBA All-Star game. He will be the first Utah Jazz Head Coach to have that honor since Frank Layden in 1984.
How to Consume:
The Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers will tip-off at 8PM MST for both games at the Staples Center. Wednesday's game will be televised on AT&T Sportsnet as well as NBA League Pass. Friday's matchup will be nationally televised on ESPN. Jazz listeners can also tune into David Locke and Ron Boone’s radio broadcast on 1280 The Zone or 97.5 FM.
Mike Conley (10) with a layup during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers
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