After two games in the second round, Utah Jazz continue to hit all the right notes while the Los Angeles Clippers grapple for answers.
The prevailing question for the Clippers in its simplicity is “How do you stop Donovan Mitchell with a team as good as the Jazz?”
In front of a boisterous home crowd, Jazz came away with a 117-111 win on Friday to go up 2-0 in the series. Mitchell once again blossomed into his starring role with 37 points but the Jazz also hammered a point that they are a dangerous cohesive unit. In a collective team effort, they used two of their most potent weapons in Game 2: 3-point shooting and defense.
The Jazz were locked in from deep, setting a franchise playoff record of 20 triples. They went 20-for-39 for 51.3 percent with Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson knocking down six apiece. It was a tidal wave of 3-pointers and every long bomb was needed to fight off the Clippers.
After Reggie Jackson’s trey gave the Clippers a narrow two-point lead late in the game, the Jazz went to work on the other end. Led by Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and an underrated effort from Bojan Bogdanovic, the Jazz shut down the Clippers. They forced nine consecutive misses and went on a 14-2 run to take control of the ball game.
Game 2 was Jazz basketball in its entirety despite point guard Mike Conley still missing time. It was Mitchell setting the tone flanked by incredible team shooting and defense.
Sixth Man of the Year Clarkson was a burst of pure energy as he finished with 24 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Joe Ingles added 19 points on 70 percent shooting while being the primary playmaker for certain stretches. The aforementioned Bogdanovic hit three triples en route to 16 points, but his biggest contribution was holding his own against Kawhi Leonard. With Bogdanovic shadowing him, Leonard was limited to two points in the fourth quarter. Gobert, who was awarded the DPOY trophy prior to tipoff, contributed 13 points, two steals, three blocks, and pulled down a playoff career-high 20 rebounds. It’s the little things adding to the larger picture for the Jazz.
As the series shifts to Los Angeles, the Clippers once again find themselves staring at a 0-2 hole.
In round one, the main question was “How do you slow down Luka Doncic?” The Clippers managed to tire out the Mavericks star particularly in the fourth quarters of Games 6 and 7 with Leonard putting the team on his back on both ends of the floor. Doncic got his points, but the Clippers cut Dallas at its legs and didn’t allow Luka Magic to spread to his teammates.
Even though the Clippers have been down 0-2 before, Mitchell and the Jazz present a different challenge altogether. The obvious contrast is the personnel and style of play with the Jazz relying more on movement and shooting compared to the Mavericks’ Doncic-centric philosophy.
What separates the Jazz further, however, is they don’t allow any margin of error. You can’t give away a possession against this team especially in the playoffs. If you rush a shot or don’t take care of the ball, you give up a Clarkson 3 on the other end. If you aren’t mindful of your defensive assignment, you let Gobert get a dunk or a drive by Mitchell. Before you know it, you are down by seven or 12 and the momentum totally shifts. When the Jazz see your feet wobbling, they go for haymakers and pummel you relentlessly till you go down.
Can Leonard pull off another Houdini act to save the Clippers? He scored 23 points in Game 1 and had 21 in Game 2. He’ll not only have to put up gaudy numbers once again, but it looks like he’ll have to defend Mitchell more. Against the Mavericks, it wasn’t until late in the series when he took the challenge of guarding Doncic.
LA’s other star, Paul George, is averaging 23.5 points and 10.0 boards after two games. The individual statistics aren’t bad, but have they been outstanding either. A huge takeaway is the Clippers’ pedestrian 37.5 percent 3-point shooting while allowing the Jazz to shoot their way to 41.6 percent.
When the Clippers were down 0-2 against the Mavericks, the prevailing sentiment from their camp was that there was “no concern.” Credit to them, they woke up and won the next two on the road and eventually won the series. Can they do it again versus the Jazz? It’ll be an uphill climb especially with how Mitchell and company have been playing. Game 3 is set on Sunday in Los Angeles.
The LA Clippers are staring at another 0-2 hole. What do they have to do to beat the Utah Jazz in Game 3?
