Jazz-Clippers live blog: 3 takeaways from Utah's series-equalizing loss to LA

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz are on the road to play the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night.

The Jazz are coming off a 132-106 loss to the Clippers, a loss that dropped the No. 1 overall seed to 2-1 in the series.

Click here for live stats after tipoff at 8:00 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast on TNT.

Follow live reaction and commentary below.

Monday, 10:31 pm

3 takeaways from the Utah Jazz's Game 4 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi Leonard had 31 points, seven rebounds and three assists; and Marcus Morris added 24 points and six rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers even the best-of-seven series with the Utah Jazz in an emphatic 118-104 victory in Game 4 at the Staples Center.Paul George supplied 31 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Clippers, who guaranteed a return trip to Los Angeles for Game 6 with the win.Donovan Mitchell led Utah with 37 points, five rebounds and five assists; and Bojan Bogdanovic added 18 points and five assists for the Jazz. Joe Ingles scored 19, and Rudy Gobert had 11 points and eight rebounds for Utah."They did a great job, making shots, getting stops when we needed to," Leonard told TNT after the game. "They're No. 1 in the NBA for a reason, the Jazz are. They're not going to give up and they kept fighting."Here are three takeaways from what could be a series-altering road loss a few miles from Venice Beach.

2-2 and back to Salt Lake on Wednesday. #TakeNote x #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0CBeAXB6Nh
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) June 15, 2021

1. Don't blame DonovanAfter a horrific start, Mitchell took a 29-point deficit and slowly whittled it down to 14 midway through the third quarter. The Louisville product tapped his recovering ankle several times during the spurt, but stayed in the game and shot close to 40% through three quarters.Maybe his efforts would be in vain. Maybe the Jazz would lose anyway. But Mitchell wasn't going to be any part of the reason why.Mitchell finished with a game-high 37 points on 9-of-26 shooting, his sixth-straight game with a 30-plus points — tied for a Jazz playoff record. The former first-round draft pick wasn't going to go down without a fight, becoming just the third player in NBA history to convert five or more 3-pointers in five consecutive playoff games — a list that also includes Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.He needed help, though.The Clippers' bench outscored their Jazz counterparts 21-11; and for every 30-point game Mitchell had, LA countered with a pair of 30-point games from Leonard and George for just the sixth time in the past two years.

.@spidadmitchell is also the third player in NBA history to record 5+ 3-pointers in five consecutive playoff games, joining:

Klay Thompson (2016 - 7 games)
Steph Curry (2015 - 6 games) pic.twitter.com/Wya7Z3J0qh
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 15, 2021

2. Board men get paidDuring the game, a mic'd-up Quin Snyder tried to rally his troops from an early mega-deficit. One of the ways they could do better? Limit the Clippers' second (or third, or fourth) attempts."It's a long game. So focus on the things right now that we need to do better," Snyder said into a TNT lapel mic during a timeout, adding that the team is "in our own heads" with offensive inefficiency. "Let's get some stops, and score."Los Angeles outrebounded the Jazz 39-32 through three quarters, using them to score 16 second-chance points en route to a 20-point lead. After another stifling start, Utah couldn't sustain any momentum for a comeback — nearly regardless of what Mitchell did.The Clippers finished off the battle of boards 53-44, including 10 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points.

Joel Embiid reacted to Kawhi's poster dunk in the middle of his post-game interview 😂😳 pic.twitter.com/SgdIBFRbHw
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 15, 2021

3. It's a three-game series now; where's Mike Conley?Perhaps the best news about Monday night's humbling loss for Jazz fans is that the series shifts back to Salt Lake City in 48 hours — and the Jazz still have home-court advantage with the 2-2 equalizer.But back-to-back road routs don't leave much to celebrate, either.The Jazz were without starting point guard Mike Conley for the fourth consecutive game of the series due to what the team is calling a "mild hamstring strain."Eventually, they're going to need him.Monday's win evened the series at two games apiece, and now the continuation of Utah's season hinges on the results of a three-game series. Sure, the Jazz hold home court advantage with two of the three games coming in front of a presumed packed house at Vivint Arena.But eventually, the team is going to have to take pressure off Mitchell's swollen ankle and rest it on Conley's poor hamstring. If the Jazz simply take care of business at home, they'll be back in the Western Conference finals, opposite intermountain west nemesis Phoenix.But if there was any room for error before, it's now gone.— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Monday, 10:18 pm

Jazz show some signs of life, but not nearly enough

At least the Jazz showed some signs of life in the third quarter. A moral victory might be all Utah can muster in this one.The Jazz started off the third quarter 17-7 and looked much more like the team that had the best record in the league. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert found some rhythm against the Clippers' aggressive defense, and the Jazz cut the lead to 14.Then Gobert was subbed out and LA went on a 9-3 run to re-establish complete control of the game.LA goes into the fourth quarter up 94-73.Mitchell had 9 points in the quarter to push him up to 30 points. It's his sixth straight 30-point game in the playoffs, but the Jazz will need a lot more to pull off a miracle comeback.— Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Monday, 09:27 pm

Clippers blowing by Jazz for 68-44 halftime lead

Good news for the Jazz: Donovan Mitchell is heating up.The bad news? Well, just about everything else, including his teammates.To illustrate, Joe Ingles wasn't just held scoreless in the first quarter — he didn't record a shot. The Australian guard's first make came from 3-point range early in the second quarter — bring the Jazz's 3-point percentage up to 2 of 10 — moments after the Clippers pushed their lead as high as 35-14 on Reggie Jackson's driving finger roll with 10:17 on the clock.Terance Mann gave LA a 40-17 advantage on an and-one play under the basket with 8:14 left in the half that capped a 12-4 run. Paul George scored 5 consecutive points midway through the second, singlehandedly doubling up the Clippers lead to 48-22 as Mitchell could only watch and foul with 6:39 left in the half.Meanwhile, Chef Kawhi was cooking during a second quarter that the Clippers led by as much as 29 en route to 68-44 halftime lead.

"OHH, A MAJOR KAWHI-LIGHT!" 😳

All-angles of Kawhi Leonard's MONSTER JAM on TNT! #ThatsGame #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/VyRzGMZgLK
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2021

Mitchell has 21 points to lead the Jazz. None of his teammates made a second shot until Jordan Clarkson hit a pullup jumper with 4:51 remaining in the first half.Ingles finished the half with 9 points, and Clarkson 5 points for the Jazz.Marcus Morris has 22 points and three rebounds to lead the Clippers, and Leonard added 19 points, three rebounds and two assists. Paul George is 4 of 9 from the field for 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Monday, 08:53 pm

The Jazz down 17 after first quarter

OK, the Jazz have a problem.All the talk about Utah being more prepared to handle the Clippers' trapping defense? Well, maybe next game.If Game 3 hinted at it, the first quarter confirmed it: The Clippers know how to guard the Jazz without Mike Conley.LA raced out to a 30-13 lead at the end of the first quarter as the Jazz were pushed into isolation possession after isolation possession.Utah was 6 of 21 from the field and didn't appear to have even one easy possession. The Jazz have committed six turnovers so far.The Clippers made it hard for Utah and then had a pretty easy go about things on the offensive end.Kawhi Leonard finished the quarter with 12 points and Marcus Morris Sr. had 11. LA was 7 of 13 from 3-point range in the first 12 minutes.— Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Monday, 08:11 pm

Good crowd at Vivint Arena for official Game 4 watch party

In arena @vivintarena watch party. Let's Go! pic.twitter.com/kMYSyLaSL0
— Alema Harrington (@AlemaHarrington) June 15, 2021

Monday, 07:07 pm

Quin Snyder gives fans a viewing guide for Game 4

Ahead of Game 4, Quin Snyder was asked if there was any worry the Jazz were putting too much on Donovan Mitchell's shoulders.Snyder smiled and offered chuckled as he said, "Well, I'm not gonna have Rudy (Gobert) bring it up right now."Makes sense.Snyder's jovial answer may have hinted at how the Jazz are feeling going into Monday's pivotal contest. If Utah wins, the Jazz can wrap things up at home on Wednesday. If the Clippers protect home court, suddenly it's a best-of-3 series.Not surprisingly, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that he's gonna stick with the nine-man rotation that won LA the game on Saturday."The way we played and the way we performed the other night, it was great, so why change it?" he said.With that being the case, expect another game full of double teams and traps sent Mitchell's way. The Jazz said they'll be ready for it and will be better spaced to find the open man. How will fans know they are?Snyder gave fans a bit of a viewing guide to see if they're spaced right:"If you look at Donovan's situation, if they're trapping him and the pick and roll, he has to have outlets, which means whoever's in front of him needs to surface in order to create a passing lane; the person behind him needs to pull behind," Snyder said.Translation: Look for players to move into open space to give Mitchell a chance for an easy pass."From that point, the initial pass out — they're so long and athletic that oftentimes, it's the next guy that has to be spaced as well because they're capable of rotating or faking at the ball and getting back to their own (man)," Snyder said.Translation: It can't just be Mitchell reacting to the trap or the player one pass away — it has to be every single person on the court."The better spaced we are, the better opportunity we have not only to get open shots, but oftentimes, you're not going to get the first shot out, and it's about driving the ball and getting on the rim. Then it gets into the same thing when they collapse, guys got to be ready to kick the ball out. For us it's kind of a constant process," Snyder said.Translation: If the ball ever stops, the spacing is probably not good enough.— Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Monday, 06:15 pm

How to watch, stream or listen to Game 4

𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝟐, 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝟒

⏰: 8:00 PM MT
📺: @NBAonTNT
📻: @ZoneSportsNet
🎧: https://t.co/ngoLhegJHF
🍿: @vivintarena watch party: https://t.co/yYH9zxIrSn #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/e37N74pEoj
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 14, 2021

Monday, 05:49 pm

Mike Conley once again out for Game 4

Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley has been officially ruled out of Monday's Game 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers.Conley had been labeled as questionable with a mild right hamstring strain — an injury he sustained in the Jazz's closeout Game 5 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.Conley has been officially "questionable" to play on the team's injury report ahead of each game against the Clippers, but has always been ruled out hours before tip off the day of the game.In spite of Conley's absence, the Jazz lead the series 2-1.— Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Mike Conley is out (mild right hamstring strain).
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 14, 2021

Monday, 05:39 pm

Gobert named All-NBA defensive first-team selection

As is usually the case for the three-time NBA defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert has been named to the All-NBA defensive team, it was announced Monday afternoon.The 7-foot-1 "Stifle Tower" ranked No. 1 in the league with 960 total rebounds, 720 defensive rebounds, 190 blocks, 5.2 defensive win shares, and a 100.6 defensive rating.Gobert and Philadelphia's Ben Simmons were unanimous picks to the All-NBA defensive first team. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, Golden State's Draymond Green and Milwaukee's Jrue Holiday were also named to the first team."The identity of our team, if you compare it to two years ago or even last year earlier in the year, we play differently," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said recently. "The biggest constant is when you have Rudy, you have defense. So Rudy makes us all look good defensively."Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was one of five second-team All-Defense selections, joining Miami's Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, and Philadelphia teammates Joel Embiid and Matisse Thybulle. It's the second time Leonard, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, has received All-Defensive honors in his career.— Sean Walker, KSL.com

The 3-time DPOY is now 1st Team All-Defense for the 5th year 🔮#TakeNote | @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/s6xj7sSE6I
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 14, 2021

Monday, 05:36 pm

Since last time

Here's what has happened since Game 3 in Los Angeles ...

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Jazz-Clippers live blog: 3 takeaways from Utah's series-equalizing loss to LA

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - June 14, 2021 at 11:14 p.m. | Posted - June 14, 2021 at 7:02 p.m.

3 takeaways from the Utah Jazz's Game 4 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers

Jazz show some signs of life, but not nearly enough

Clippers blowing by Jazz for 68-44 halftime lead

The Jazz down 17 after first quarter

Good crowd at Vivint Arena for official Game 4 watch party

Quin Snyder gives fans a viewing guide for Game 4

How to watch, stream or listen to Game 4

Mike Conley once again out for Game 4

Gobert named All-NBA defensive first-team selection

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Jazz-Clippers live blog: 3 takeaways from Utah's series-equalizing loss to LA

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - June 14, 2021 at 11:14 p.m. | Posted - June 14, 2021 at 7:02 p.m.

3 takeaways from the Utah Jazz's Game 4 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers

Jazz show some signs of life, but not nearly enough

Clippers blowing by Jazz for 68-44 halftime lead

The Jazz down 17 after first quarter

Good crowd at Vivint Arena for official Game 4 watch party

Quin Snyder gives fans a viewing guide for Game 4

How to watch, stream or listen to Game 4

Mike Conley once again out for Game 4

Gobert named All-NBA defensive first-team selection

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