Jazz Face Clippers Without Leonard And George

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – If the Utah Jazz want to make the NBA Finals, their pathway made lead them into a meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs.

The teams will face one another in back-to-back games in Los Angeles beginning on Wednesday and concluding on Friday.

It’s the first time this season the Jazz will face the same team in consecutive games away from Vivint Arena. The Jazz swept two-game series against the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks earlier this year.

Jazz Are NBA’s Hottest Team

The Jazz own the best record in the NBA at 23-5, having won eight straight games, and 19 of their last 20.

The team sits atop the Western Conference with a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers and a 2.5 game lead over the Clippers.

The Clippers are the first Western Conference team the Jazz will face since losing their last game against the Denver Nuggets on January 31. Since the Nuggets loss, the Jazz have gone a perfect 8-0 to open February while beating five of the top eight teams from the Eastern Conference in the last 10 days.

.@JordanClarksons tied the @utahjazz single game record for most threes in a game.

P.S. Jazz have won 8 straight and 19 of their last 20.#TakeNote https://t.co/egqpKZ5ybx

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 16, 2021

Point guard Mike Conley has missed each of the last five games with the Jazz after experiencing hamstring tightness in his right leg against the Charlotte Hornets on February 5.

Conley was listed as questionable for the game but downgraded to out 90 minutes before tipoff.

As a result, reserve guard Jordan Clarkson has earned increased minutes in the Jazz lineup. Clarkson is averaging 21.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds while playing 29.3 minutes per game.

Clarkson had his best game since joining the Jazz in December of 2019 in the team’s 134-123 victory over the Philadephia 76ers Monday night, scoring 40 points and connecting on eight made three-pointers.

Clippers Can Match Jazz Shooting

The Jazz have been so successful over the last month and a half thanks in large part to their three-point shooting. The Jazz haven’t allowed an opponent to complete more threes in a head-to-head matchup since the Brooklyn Nets outshow the Jazz 14 to 11 on January 5.

However, the Clippers are one of the few teams who can go toe-to-toe with the from beyond the three-point line.

Los Angeles ranks sixth in the NBA in three-pointers made in the NBA at 14.5 per game, and connect on a better percentage than the Jazz at 42.4 percent.

Six score in double-figures for our fourth straight win.

📼 Honey highlights from the win vs. Miami. pic.twitter.com/9tCcVPhOhX

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 16, 2021

The Jazz lead the NBA in three-pointers made at 16.8 per game but rank fourth in the league shooting percentage at 39.5 percent.

The Clippers have six players on their roster that shoot 40 percent or better from the three-point line, while only four Jazz players can make that claim.

On Monday night, the Clippers beat the Miami Heat without the services of Paul George or Kawhi Leonard. George hasn’t played since February 3 after suffering from a bone edema in his toe.

Leonard missed the game with a leg contusion. Neither George nor Leonard will play against the Jazz.

Nicolas Batum is also expected to miss his second consecutive game with a concussion.

Key Matchup

With the availability of Conley unknown, the key matchup will pit Jazz guard Joe Ingles and Clippers guard Patrick Beverley against one another.

The two players are unsung heroes on their rosters and some of the best shooters in the NBA. Ingles leads Jazz rotation players by making 44 percent of his 5.4 attempts per game. Beverley meanwhile connects on 43 percent of his 4.1 attempers per night.

Beverley sat out the Clippers’ last game to rest amid the grind of the long NBA season.

Swing it around, knock it down. 👌@patbev21 | @FoxSportsWest pic.twitter.com/l6Y4XMoNoE

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 15, 2021

The Clippers guard had one of the worst shooting nights of his season in the two teams’ first meeting this season. Beverley scored just six points on 2-7 attempts from the field but led the Clippers in plus-mins at +21 in the game.

The Jazz beat Los Angeles 106-100 and got 11 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists from Ingles in nearly 33 minutes off the bench. Ingles has assumed the starting guard spot alongside Donovan Mitchell with Conley out of the lineup.

Broadcast

The Jazz and Clippers will tip-off at 8 pm MST and the game will be broadcast on AT&T SportsNet.