LOS ANGELES – Donovan Mitchell had 24 points, Rudy Gobert had 23 points and 20 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz rolled past the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 114-96 on Wednesday night for their ninth straight victory.
Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points for the NBA-leading Jazz, who improved to 24-5 with their 20th win in 21 games. After three tight quarters, Utah broke it open in fourth place to win this showdown with the Western Conference power stations – although it was not a proper showdown, with injured superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George of Clippers.
With the 7-foot-1 Gobert scoring 17 points in the second half while playing a dominant game on both sides of the field, the Jazz beat the Clippers for the ninth time in the teams’ last twelve games .
“I think it really started from the defensive side, our physicality,” Gobert said. “They were really aggressive in the first half. They just played louder than us. No matter who we play, we can not really make it happen if we are going to be the team we want to be. In the second half we became more aggressive and got better shots. ”
After a rough first half that did not look like Utah’s impressive recent game, the Jazz opened a solid game with a 14-2 run that played over the third and fourth quarters, followed by a run of 16-3 to put it away.
“(Gobert) was the attacker on defense, on the boards, everywhere,” Mitchell said. ‘It’s something that set the tone. He did it from the jump. This is the Rudy we need every day, and he did it. ‘
Lou Williams scored 16 points and Reggie Jackson added 15 for the Clippers, whose four-game winning streak ended.
The Clippers were deeply hurt in this heavyweight match: Leonard missed his third consecutive game with a bruised leg, and George missed his seventh consecutive time with an injured toe. Nicolas Batum also sat with concussion, leaving LA without three regular starters.
“I can not dispute our effort and our competition, but it’s just one of the games where they played well enough to beat us, especially in the fourth quarter when they got it going,” said Tyronn Lue, coach of Clippers, said. “That’s why they are defensively the best in the league because of the way they make you play.”
The Clips dropped to 3-2 this season when they played without both Leonard and George.
The Jazz played without Mike Conley, who had a tight thigh muscle.
TIPS
Jazz: Conley has missed six consecutive games. … Clarkson, the former Lakers guard, scored 11 points in the second half. He dropped 40 on the 76ers on Monday.
Clippers: Batum missed his second consecutive game after taking a hit to the head last week. … Patrick Beverley returned after missing Monday’s win over Miami to rest on the second date of a rugby series.
GOOD START
Despite their absence from injuries, Clippers fans made Utah uncomfortable during the first half. Los Angeles led 51-46 at halftime as they thoroughly outscored Utah, forcing poor shots and bothering the usually flowing ball movement.
Both teams believed Gobert had changed the game after halftime.
“Their game is pretty good in the pick-and-roll direction, so if you have a big one like Rudy Gobert to set solid screens, it’s hard to protect him,” said Amir Coffey, who scored 13 points for Los Angeles scored. “He does a great job of putting the edge down and making mistakes. Sometimes it’s just hard to deal with what he can do. ”
FOLLOWING
The teams meet again Friday at Staples Center.
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