After losing to the Nuggets, Pistons, and Pelicans, the LA Clippers seek to get back on track against a Jazz team that is running short on guards.
The LA Clippers are looking to bounce back from three straight losses tonight. The Utah Jazz will be playing without several team members tonight. They will re-evaluate Ricky Rubio (mild right hamstring strain), Thabo Sefolosha (mild right hamstring strain) and Raul Neto (left groin strain) in one week’s time. Dante Exum (left ankle sprain) will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
As for the Clippers, Luc Mbah a Moute is out still with a sore left knee.
What to Watch For
Even with several players unavailable, the Jazz still have their top two scorers, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert ready for tonight. The Clippers’ primary defensive match-ups to contain those two should be Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell. Locking up Mitchell and Gobert is a key priority for the Clippers.
Coach Rivers has begun to give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander less minutes over the past few games, a questionable decision as other guards on the Clippers’ roster struggle to score. It will be interesting to see how much playing time SGA receives tonight. It will also be interesting to watch Jerome Robinson should he receive minutes from Rivers. He has been called up from the G-League, making him available for tonight’s game.
The Clippers have had better success than the Jazz this season, but not by much. While the Clippers sit three seeds higher than the Jazz, the two teams have the same amount of wins. Tonight’s game is by no means an expected win, but Clipper Nation will be watching and cheering for the home team as they face the Utah Jazz for the first time this season.
Getting this win tonight is a must for LA. The current standings have the Clippers sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference. They are only a loss out of fifth but just two losses above being in a 4 way tie for eighth place. Every single game matters and dropping a fourth game in a row (the third to a Western Conference foe) would be detrimental.