Blog: Clippers Blowout Jazz In Utah
Dec 8, 2023, 10:32 PM | Updated: Dec 9, 2023, 2:41 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz were blown out on their home floor by the Los Angeles Clippers 117-103.
Kawhi Leonard had a masterful 41 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 14-23 shooting.
The Jazz were led by John Collins who scored 20 points.
First Quarter
Kawhi Leonard got the Clippers off to a hot start fueling a 10-0 to build a 15-6 lead in the opening five minutes of the game.
The Clippers took their first double-digit lead of the game with 4:40 left to play at 21-11.
Were you there for Keyonte George’s first four-point play? 🤨#TakeNotehttps://t.co/PKZnzcL46P
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 9, 2023
Leonard scored 14 points on 5-6 shooting in the first quarter while Talen Horton-Tucker led the Jazz with seven points.
After one the Jazz trailed the Clippers 32-26.
Second Quarter
Taylor Hendricks remained in the Jazz rotation even with Kelly Olynyk back in the lineup while Omer Yurtseven did not see the floor.
The Jazz’s offense struggled to make shots in the first half, knocking down just 5-17 from three through the first 18 minutes of the game. However, their defense kept the game close as the Clippers were unable to get out in transition against the Jazz.
John Collins missed his first three three-point attempts to open the game, and pushing him to just 2-13 over his last 3.5 games.
The Clippers closed the second quarter on a 13-4 run and led the Jazz 59-46 at the half.
Third Quarter
After falling behind by 13, the Jazz answered with three consecutive three-pointers to trim the Clippers lead to seven.
Keyonte George has gotten significantly better at drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. He averaged 2.7 free-throw attempts in his first six starts and has upped that to 5.7 over his last seven starts.
Walker Kessler returned to the starting lineup and got right back to blocking shots ✋💥#TakeNote https://t.co/Nw8UvFhszf
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 9, 2023
George’s free-throw percentage has dipped to 75 percent during his latest stretch, but getting to the free-throw line is a big addition for a struggling shooter.
The Jazz had their best offensive quarter of the game scoring 29 points, but were matched by the Clippers and were unable to make up any ground heading into the fourth quarter.
After three the Jazz trailed the Clippers 88-75.
Fourth Quarter
The Jazz fell behind by 17 early in the fourth quarter, but responded with a 10-3 run to trim the Clippers lead to 10 with just under nine minutes left to play.
Talen Horton-Tucker, Collin Sexton, and John Collins all gave the Jazz a big push to get the deficit down to six to get the crowd re-engaged, but the Clippers answered with a Norman Powell three and an open-court foul to rebuild the lead to double-digits.
Sexton and Collins giving Utah some hope 👀#TakeNote https://t.co/yoCjTHHSdQ
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 9, 2023
The Clippers run extended to 11 straight as their lead climbed to 18 with 4:48 left in the game.
The Jazz fell 117-103.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
