Red-Hot Jazz Look For Playoff Revenge Against Clippers
Dec 14, 2021, 3:35 PM | Updated: 5:37 pm
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) guarded by LA Clippers guard Paul George (13) during the game 4 of the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers on June 14, 2021, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz will get their first crack at the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday after getting eliminated by the team during last season’s playoffs.
The Jazz won the first two games of the series but lost the next four as the team’s battled shorthanded with both Mike Conley and Kawhi Leonard missing games.
While the Jazz are at full strength, the Clippers have been without Leonard this season as a result of his injury suffered during the series.
Jazz Are NBA’s Hottest Team
The Jazz are the NBA’s hottest team in nearly every definition of the work. They own the league’s longest win streak at seven games and have skyrocketed to become the league’s most lethal shooting team.
Over the last seven games, the Jazz are shooting a blistering 44.4 percent from the three-point line on 19.9 makes per game.
Only six players remain from the 2006 draft class, but Rudy Gay knows his past isn't why he's still in the NBA.
“You’ve got to reinvent yourself every year, man. It’s the draft every year, you’ve got to give your team something.”#TakeNote | @kslsportshttps://t.co/DqxV2uWeEA
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) December 13, 2021
As a result, they lead the league in both effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, despite a sluggish shooting start to the year.
The Jazz have the league’s best offensive rating at 117.5 and the NBA’s second-best net rating at 11.3 trailing onto the Golden State Warriors.
While the Warriors and Suns have dominated the headlines in the Western Conference this season, the Jazz sit just two games back of Golden State for the second seed in the West and 2.5 games back of Phoenix for the best record in the NBA.
Clippers Looking To Keep Pace In The West
After the top three teams in the West, the conference takes a steep dip between the third-seeded Jazz and fourth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis trails the Jazz by three games while the Clippers own the fifth-best record in the Western Conference, four games back of Utah.
The Clippers come into Utah having struggled on the road this season winning just four of their contests away from Staples Center.
Last time out, @terance_mann hit five of his eight shots from the field, and went perfect from deep in win over Orlando.
📼 Clippers CourtVision powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/yPvmsFxLwf
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 13, 2021
The Los Angeles team has a -0.4 net rating away from home this season and has played just three road games since November 20.
While the Clippers have struggled to score on the road having the 22nd ranked offense away from home, they have the sixth-best traveling defense.
The Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns on Monday night who were without Paul George, while All-Star Paul George missed the game with a calf injury.
George is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game in Utah.
Broadcast
The Jazz and Clippers will tip-off at 8 pm MT and can be heard on 102.7 KSL NewsRadio and 97.5 and 1280 The Zone Sports Network. The game will be televised on ESPN.
