LOS ANGELES – The LA Clippers had Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back in the series on Friday, and the timing could not have been better.
The rising Utah Jazz, winners of 20 of their previous 21 games, including an 18-point victory over the Clippers on Wednesday, were back at Staples Center for a second consecutive game. And the Clippers wanted to show where they stand against the leading team in the West.
Leonard scored 29 points and came up with two big offensive setbacks in the last minute to help the Clippers stop the Jazz, 116-112, and reach Utah’s nine-game winning streak.
“They’re currently the best team in the NBA by record,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “We knew they won 20 of 21 tonight. We got our guys back, and we wanted to win this game.”
The Clippers (22-9) had their two stars on the field after George missed the previous seven games due to a swollen right toe and Leonard put out the previous three due to a lower abdomen from the left leg. The Clippers’ starting lineup was whole again, with forward Nicolas Batum also returning after missing the previous two games due to a concussion.
“I’m just glad I was able to get out and play today,” said Leonard, who wore a sleeve on his lower left leg. “We were able to be healthy and get our first five out there, and that’s what it’s all about. We want to get better. We have not had a chance to really play with a complete, healthy list in the last two weeks. Hopefully we can enjoy some blessings and stay healthy to complete the All Star [break] has begun. ‘
The Jazz (24-6) also have guard Mike Conley (right leg) back in the series for this showdown between two of the West’s best teams. Conley scored 16 points, but it was Donovan Mitchell who kept the Jazz series almost alive. Mitchell scored 35 points, with 29 coming in the second half. The guard scored 12 points in the final 1:23 as he helped Utah reduce a 13-point deficit by two seconds with 13 seconds left.
Jazz center Rudy Gobert said the game “feels like a playoff game – the intensity, the hard shots they made all night.”
For Utah, it was a rare solid game. During their 20-1 series, the Jazz scored just seven minutes in stoppage time, while the score was within five points in the final five minutes. This is the least in the NBA during that period.
“There are so many different things we’ve seen over the course of this period,” Mitchell said. “We’re not here to be happy with what’s happening today, tomorrow. We’re getting ready for the long haul – the second half of the season and the playoffs. We need to continue to be this team and not just be this team in the first half of the season. ‘
Like the Jazz, who blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Clippers are also striving to be better than in the previous post-season. They blew a 3-1 lead over the Nuggets in the second round.
The Clippers need a healthy Leonard and George to move on this season. George said he played with a sore toe and managed it with a day off between games until he played in a rugby game against Brooklyn and Cleveland. George then experienced swelling and had to be closed until the swelling and pain subsided.
“We played Brooklyn and then Cleveland, two tough games that led me to have to downsize and plant the toes, and play there,” George said. He had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. “Only the back-to-back side made me tip overboard and I could not recover, I needed time because it was swollen. I was just trying to keep it rolling for the team, and it worked. hinder me. “
“I feel good,” George adds as his tone feels coming out of the game. “Just to get back in the hallway.”
The same can be said for the Clippers, who were happy that their stars were healthy against the red-hot Jazz.
“We’re basketball fans at the end of the day, and of course you see the sound make during the season,” Clippers guard Patrick Beverley said of the Jazz’s 20-1 series. ‘We actually wanted the one we gave up, and we touched the end of the gas little [on Wednesday]. You need to give credit to Utah. They have a hell of a system, hella players, the coaches.
“It’s been a tough game, and it’s the type of game you want in the NBA, and we’re lucky to have a win for sure.”