Jazz-Clippers blog: 3 takeaways from Utah's loss to Clippers in Game 5

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - June 16, 2021 at 11:07 p.m. | Posted - June 16, 2021 at 7:04 p.m.

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz are back at home to play the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

The Jazz are coming off a 118-104 loss to the Clippers, a loss that evened up the best-of-seven series at two wins apiece.

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.

Wednesday, 11:05 pm

Clippers push Jazz to brink of elimination

Paul George poured in 37 points to go with 16 rebounds and five assists, and Marcus Morris added 24 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers take a 119-111 win over the Utah Jazz for a pivotal road victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night at Vivint Arena.Reggie Jackson added 22 points with three assists for the Clippers.Bojan Bogdanovic scored 32 points to lead Utah, and Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, and Jordan Clarkson supplied 15 points and three rebounds off the bench.Down a star, LA and Paul George came to playThe Clippers have heard everything you've been saying.Counted out by many as soon as Kawhi Leonard was ruled out for Game 5 (and likely longer) with an injury that is at least a knee sprain, LA did the impossible.After giving up 17 first-half 3-pointers — one off an NBA postseason high — the Clippers limited the Jazz to 13 consecutive misses from beyond the arc, including an 0-for-10 run through the third quarter. The only thing more impressive was the Clippers' offense, which shot 55% for 38 points in the third behind a steady diet of George and Morris.

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Age of plenty, age of famine, and a changed seriesLike Joseph's vision of the Pharaoh and Egypt, the Jazz went through moments of plenty in the first half before finding themselves in a third-quarter drought. The franchise's 10 3-pointers in the first half tied an NBA all-time mark, set up by the near-NBA mark of 17 in the first half.And then — cold. A desert of triples, a dearth of scoring, as the Clippers turned a 5-point halftime deficit into a 92-83 lead in the fourth quarter. Without Leonard, LA's supporting staff had to step up — and they did.Morris had 24 points, Jackson added 12 points and even Patrick Beverly — the defensive menace of Game 4 — added a clutch 3-pointer en route to 5 points off the bench.The Clippers can close out the top-seeded Jazz in Game 6 Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT on ESPN.

📹| @44bojan ⤵️

32p | 9 3pm | 3r | 9-17 3pm pic.twitter.com/uWfb86jeHp
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 17, 2021

Some bright spots, but not enoughUtah wasn't without its moments: the hot shooting in the first half, a couple of electrifying Gobert dunks in the second, and a capacity crowd of 18,000-plus doing everything it could to try to turn a series that had slipped from its grasp with back-to-back road blowouts but was offered a lifeline by an injured star.Gobert sent the sold-out crowd to its feet, finishing off a layup jam from Ingles with 6:15 remaining to pull Utah within six, 100-94. That woke up a Utah squad caught sleep-walking through the third quarter.Mitchell drove to the rim for an and-one play with just over six minutes remaining, but Jackson hit back-to-back shots to push the lead back to eight, 105-97, and help the Clippers hold on to take the 3-2 series lead back to Los Angeles.— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Wednesday, 10:16 pm

Clippers surge ahead in third quarter

No Kawhi, no problem.That's at least how the Clippers should be feeling after the third quarter.LA started the quarter on a 20-7 run and led 92-83 heading into the fourth.After the sizzling start from the perimeter, Utah went ice cold from 3-point range, shooting 0 for 10 from deep in the quarter.The 3s stopped falling, and Utah's defense certainly didn't make up for it and allowed the Clippers to shoot 55% as they took over the lead.Paul George and Marcus Morris combined for 20 points to lead the surging Clippers.Rudy Gobert slightly saved the Jazz with four straight offensive rebounds, leading to 9 points for the All-NBA center. But that wasn't enough to save Utah's floundering offense.And if things don't change quick, the Jazz's season will soon be pushed to the brink.— Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Wednesday, 09:23 pm

Turnovers are a problem, but so is Bogey in the first half

Utah was heating up in the first quarter — and that's not a drought reference.Of course, so were the turnover bugs.The Jazz committed six turnovers in the opening frame — all on Clippers steals — to lead by just one point. That's more steals than missed shots (five), for those keeping track at home.LA forced two more turnovers in the first three minutes of the second quarter to pull back ahead, and the Clippers never let the game get away from them.Then Utah cleaned up, turning over the ball just three times in the final eight minutes of the half.Meanwhile, Bogdanovic stayed hot — even inside the arc with a shifty reverse layup with 6:54 left in the half — and Rudy Gobert capped a 13-2 run that put the Jazz up 56-46 just 40 seconds later.Bogdanovic had a game-high 23 points on 7-of-13 3-point shooting, and Jordan Clarkson scored 14 off the bench to help the Jazz to a 65-60 halftime lead.Donovan Mitchell hit just his second 3-pointer of the game to put the Jazz up eight, 62-54, with 3:51 left in the half. The All-Star guard finished with 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting to go along with three rebounds and five assists.The Jazz tied an NBA postseason record with 10 3-pointers in the first quarter, and the 17 treys in the half finished just one shy of the mark set by Cleveland in 2016.— Sean Walker, KSL.com

the threes, they're falling pic.twitter.com/kkOguITXxh
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 17, 2021

Wednesday, 08:53 pm

Bogey's on fire, so are the Clips in early shootout

The current Utah heat wave has apparently rubbed off on Bojan Bogdanovic. The problem: It rubbed off on the Clippers, too. Bogdanovic was absolutely unconscious in the first quarter, hitting his first six 3-pointers to lead the Jazz with 18 points. Other Utah players got in on the fun, too. Royce O'Neale hit two 3s and Joe Ingles and Donovan Mitchell both hit a long-range bomb as the Jazz finished the quarter 10 of 15 from 3-point range. Yet, they lead only 37-36. The Clippers are one of the few team that can match Utah's fire power — even without Kawhi Leonard. Paul George and Marcus Morris both have 10 points for the Clippers. Quin Snyder did alter his rotation a bit, leaving Rudy Gobert in for the first 10 minutes of the game. That appears to be a sign that the All-NBA center will get more minutes tonight. — Ryan Miller, KSL.com

out of his mind 🤯#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/Oy3q0uqOiE
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 17, 2021

Wednesday, 08:44 pm

Bojan Bogdanovic has six 3-pointers in the first quarter 👀

out of his mind 🤯#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/Oy3q0uqOiE
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 17, 2021

Wednesday, 06:57 pm

How Quin Snyder thinks Kawhi Leonard's injury will affect the series

The obvious question heading into Game 5: How will Kawhi Leonard's absence affect the series? Leonard helped the Clippers to two straight wins in the series, averaging 32.5 points and playing a key role in trapping Donovan Mitchell during LA's wins in Game 3 and 4.He'll now miss Game 5 and potentially the series with a knee injury."Your sympathies and you wish him a speedy recovery," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "Obviously there's a competitive component but the personal component always trumps that, so hopefully he'll get better quickly and, and it won't be anything that's severe for him."But when it comes to the competitive side, the Clippers missing a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a player that has been among the top players in the playoffs, certainly seems like it should be an advantage to Utah.The people in Las Vegas sure thought so — the Jazz went from being favored by 2.5 points before the Leonard news to 8 points after it."There's obviously things that he does that are unique," Snyder said. "We've been through that with Mike (Conley) and some of the things that he does for our team that you have to adjust to and they'll make those same adjustments."Some of those adjustments means minutes, personnel matchups and who will be in the Clippers' rotation. LA has used 11 players thus far as rotation players in this series, so they'll have plenty to throw out still — but no one can replace Leonard."I think (Paul George) at certain times in the games, as you review the games, has already been unbelievably aggressive," Snyder said. "And that's something that we've talked about and we need to address and I think there's a number of ways that we can try to do that."Snyder also pointed out Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr., both players who have had big games in the series, to get more opportunities. Due to Leonard's infamous load management schedule, the Jazz won't be going in completely blind. Snyder said the coaching staff examined how the Clippers played when Leonard rested this season to try and get somewhat of a feel of what may come."Any time you lose a player like that it impacts the series," Snyder said. "But teams respond and they'll respond. … They're a deep and talented team, so there's certainly enough offensive talent that they can score."— Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Wednesday, 06:47 pm

Leonard made it to SLC, no longer with Clippers' party after knee injury confirmed

LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn't elaborate much on Kawhi Leonard's knee injury prior to Wednesday night's tipoff in Salt Lake City, simply reiterating that the Clippers' medical staff only knows that the All-Star's right knee is sprained and that they are awaiting further test results.He also didn't spend too much time explaining how the Clippers will need to play differently against a Jazz side that is still the NBA's No. 1 overall seed, even if LA will hold confidence after a two-game sweep at home.Lue didn't need to say much; most of it is pretty well understood."We're being optimistic about the situation," Lue said. "But our team understands that it's part of the game. You lose your best player like that, it's tough to happen."But we understand it's the next man up. It's part of the playoffs, and we understand the task at hand."Leonard initially traveled with the team to Salt Lake City before returning to Los Angeles when test results revealed some sort damage to the right knee he injured with about four minutes left in Game 4 of the second-round series.

Tap in. pic.twitter.com/w04jllHtYN
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) June 17, 2021

Now all Leonard — like the team — can do is wait. He'll be cheering his teammates on from back home."He's a little down because he wanted to be here," Lue said. "But it's part of the game. He wants to be here for his teammates. He's going to cheers us from afar, and we'll get back on to it tomorrow."The injury may — even, should — help the Jazz, who looked lost at times in Los Angeles and have been dealing with an injury to one of their own All-Stars in Mike Conley, who will miss the fifth consecutive game of the series. And it may provide motivation for the Clippers, behind closed doors, as outside voices have all-but counted Paul George and Co. out for as long as Leonard's knee keeps him down.Lue shot down the latter notions, though."I've been counted out my whole life, and probably a lot of these guys have, too," he said. "We've had enough motivation."We're not really worried about the chatter. We were counted out in the first series, as well, and we moved forward as well."Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT on TNT.— Sean Walker, KSL.com

Wednesday, 06:45 pm

Since last time

'He just surprises you': Kawhi Leonard never panicked when Clippers trailed Jazz, and it's paying off

'It's tough, but it is what it is': Donovan Mitchell has been forced to carry unusual burden in 2nd round

Patrick Kinahan: Jazz must get down to heart of the matter

From the comments: Mike Conley's past shows that if he can play, he will

Rudy Gobert named to All-NBA Third Team as Donovan Mitchell left off

Mike Conley still hopes to return to 2nd round series after 'small setback' has kept him out

Clippers' Kawhi Leonard sprains right knee, out for Game 5

Wednesday, 06:29 pm

How to watch, stream, listen to Game 5

𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝟐, 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝟓

⏰: 8:00 PM MT
🚪: 6 PM @vivintarena
📺: @NBAonTNT
📻: @ZoneSportsNet
🎧: https://t.co/2rOBMsSVl5
🎟: https://t.co/TevNxAmYoe #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/SZgKFSug6V
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 16, 2021

Jazz-Clippers blog: 3 takeaways from Utah's loss to Clippers in Game 5

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - June 16, 2021 at 11:07 p.m. | Posted - June 16, 2021 at 7:04 p.m.

Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) celebrates a 3-pointer against the LA Clippers during Game 5 of their NBA playoff series in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

Clippers push Jazz to brink of elimination

Clippers surge ahead in third quarter

Turnovers are a problem, but so is Bogey in the first half

Bogey's on fire, so are the Clips in early shootout

Bojan Bogdanovic has six 3-pointers in the first quarter 👀

How Quin Snyder thinks Kawhi Leonard's injury will affect the series

Leonard made it to SLC, no longer with Clippers' party after knee injury confirmed

Since last time

How to watch, stream, listen to Game 5

Most recent Utah Jazz stories

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Jazz-Clippers blog: 3 takeaways from Utah's loss to Clippers in Game 5

By KSL.com Sports | Updated - June 16, 2021 at 11:07 p.m. | Posted - June 16, 2021 at 7:04 p.m.

Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) celebrates a 3-pointer against the LA Clippers during Game 5 of their NBA playoff series in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

Clippers push Jazz to brink of elimination

Clippers surge ahead in third quarter

Turnovers are a problem, but so is Bogey in the first half

Bogey's on fire, so are the Clips in early shootout

Bojan Bogdanovic has six 3-pointers in the first quarter 👀

How Quin Snyder thinks Kawhi Leonard's injury will affect the series

Leonard made it to SLC, no longer with Clippers' party after knee injury confirmed

Since last time

How to watch, stream, listen to Game 5

Most recent Utah Jazz stories

Markkanen, George lead Jazz in rally past Brooklyn for come-from-behind win

Jazz, Mammoth to join forces in 'paying it forward.' Here's how Utahns can participate, too

Markkanen scores 29, George adds 28 in bounce-back game as Jazz outlast Rockets

Related topics

More stories you may be interested in

'It sucks for him': Jazz grapple with news of Walker Kessler's season-ending surgery

'Freeing up Walt's brain': Jazz rookie learning when to pass — and when to shoot

Jazz show some 'grit' in bounce-back win over Celtics

SPORTS NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

KSL Weather Forecast