Clippers Duo Sinks Jazz, Utah Falls In Overtime Before All-Star Break
Feb 13, 2025, 9:57 PM | Updated: Feb 14, 2025, 12:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz fought hard for over 50 minutes but ultimately came up short in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Delta Center on Thursday.
The first half was dominated by Utah. They shot 62.9 percent from the floor, 56.5 percent from three, and led by as much as 20. Knowing that their shooting would drop closer to season averages, the Clippers stayed collected and fought back.
James Harden and Norman Powell did it all for Los Angeles. The guard duo combined for 73 points, over 60 percent of the Clippers’ total score.
The Jazz will enjoy an eight-day break for All-Star weekend before returning to action against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, February 21.
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 14, 2025
First Quarter
Utah came out of the gates with its finger on the trigger and no hesitancy in letting it fly. That ended up being a blessing and a curse.
On the bright side, they shot over 68 percent from the floor and 64 percent from three. However, the fast-paced playstyle quickly turned to sloppiness.
Seven first-quarter turnovers allowed the Clippers to stay close despite shooting much worse all-around.
The King of the North is picking up right where he left off last night 👑🎯 pic.twitter.com/Ic4RO7YBM2
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 14, 2025
LA also outscored Utah 14-4 in the paint in the quarter which was a bad sign, assuming the Jazz couldn’t retain their unconscious shooting percentages.
But when you’ve got it going, you shoot first and ask questions later. That’s exactly what Utah did and it led to a 33-26 lead going into the second quarter.
John Collins led the way with eight points on 3/5 shooting. Brice Sensabaugh and Keyonte George followed up with 6 points each on 2/2 from deep.
icy outside, Br𝘪𝘤𝘺 inside 🧊
that’s back-to-back from deep for @bricepsensa 🥶🥶🥶 pic.twitter.com/wasLuCn4No
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 14, 2025
Second Quarter
There have been many times this season where Utah will get the hot hand and then cool off in an instant.
But, they kept the ball rolling early in the second. They opened the quarter with six makes on eight shots including 2/2 from downtown.
The lead expanded to almost 20 which forced a Clippers timeout.
RELATED: Young Core Shows Out As Utah Jazz Take Big Lead Over Clippers
The @utahjazz are running it up on the @laclippers, 47-28 with 7:32 left in the half.
Jazz have outscored the Clippers by 27 behind the three-point line. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/WOExp5ZnCS
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 14, 2025
The decision from Tyronn Lue proved to be a good one.
The Jazz came back to earth just a bit after the breather. They went from shooting over 70 percent to just under 50 percent to close out the half.
During this time, Los Angeles saw an opportunity to strike and took advantage with a 22-7 run. Norman Powell scored 12 points in the second and James Harden tacked on seven of his own.
The Jazz finished the half with eight more turnovers and 12 fewer points in the paint. Regardless, they led 60-54 at the break.
At the break, the @utahjazz lead the @laclippers 60-54.
Jazz three-point shooting cooled off the in the second quarter and their 20 point lead quickly evaporated. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/VwmzKGwKZK
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 14, 2025
Third Quarter
In the third quarter, the Clippers, and even fans in Delta Center, were anxiously waiting for the Jazz to fully cool off.
But it never came. They continued to shoot a respectable percentage and defend their lead.
A big reason for this was Kyle Filipowski who scored eight points in the first two minutes of the half.
three the hard way? alright rook, we see you 😮💨#TakeNote | @kylefilipowski pic.twitter.com/CMJyiOJPXU
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 14, 2025
A storyline that began to emerge in the third quarter was bench production. Through the first 30 minutes, the Jazz’s bench outscored the Clippers’ by almost 20.
That did not entirely matter as Los Angeles’ two-man show up top, Harden and Powell, combined to score 48 by the end of the third.
That combined with Utah losing the turnover battle 19-5 allowed LA to stay competitive.
The Jazz’s shooting dropped to 57.4 percent and 51.4 percent going into the fourth but they still held a 95-86 lead.
WIth 12 minutes left until the All-Star break, the @utahjazz lead the @laclippers 95-86.
Who can put together the best effort to close the night?#takenote pic.twitter.com/9q7mGEOYCG
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 14, 2025
Fourth Quarter
The Clippers opened the final quarter on a 14-4 run to take their first lead since not long after tip-off.
The Jazz’s only points in the first six minutes of the quarter came from the charity stripe. They missed all of their first five shot attempts and turned the ball over twice.
When the Jazz finally got a bucket to go, Keyonte George was called for an offensive foul as he drove to the cup.
With 6:10 left in the game the @utahjazz trail the @laclippers 100-99.
Jazz led by as much as 20 early in the game. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/HlOCWGFinT
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 14, 2025
Facing a deficit for the first time in almost 40 minutes served as a wake-up call for Utah.
They were finally able to get some shots to drop and looked like they would stay competitive down the stretch rather than accepting their fate.
With three minutes left before the All-Star break, the game was tied at 106-106. Two minutes later, Isaiah Collier laced two free throws to tie the game at 108-108 with 45 seconds remaining.
The Jazz were able to force a Harden miss but on the other end, the Jazz’s shot found the back rim as time expired.
more work to do 🫡 pic.twitter.com/dbTuTfh8cW
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 14, 2025
Overtime
Kyle Filipowski, Utah’s leading scorer with 20 points, fouled out and sent Powell to the line a little over a minute into the extra period. He drained both to give LA a five-point lead.
A few possessions later, Utah was able to force turnovers on back-to-back possessions. Both turned into easy looks on the other end and the Jazz quickly dropped the lead down to one.
Unfortunately, Powell continued his offensive dominance after Utah’s short burst, he got two easy layups to put the Clippers back up by five and increase his total to 40 for the night.
Utah was unable to put together a final push as they fell in OT,
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