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What to watch for in LA Clippers’ rematch with Utah Jazz

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 31: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers looks on against the San Antonio Spurs on October 31, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 31: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers looks on against the San Antonio Spurs on October 31, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After falling to the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City last week, the LA Clippers will seek to avenge the loss Sunday night in Los Angeles.

After taking a few days off, the LA Clippers will be back in action Sunday night when they host the Utah Jazz at STAPLES Center.

Utah is responsible for one of the Clippers’ two losses so far this season, which came last Wednesday in Salt Lake City. The Jazz downed LA 110-96, though it’s hard to take too much away from that outcome, as LA was playing without its best player, Kawhi Leonard.

For the first half of that game, the Clippers looked solid. After trailing by as many as 14 in the second quarter, LA cut the deficit down to just one by halftime. Had it not been for Mike Conley‘s offensive explosion in the third quarter, there’s a chance the Clippers could have come away from this one with a win.

There were bigger issues at play than just Conley’s 18-point outburst in the third, though. LA’s ball movement was lacking without Leonard in the lineup and the Clippers’ offense struggled because of it. There was only so much Lou Williams could do as the primary scoring option, and Montrezl Harrell struggled to earn minutes after falling into foul trouble early on.

Fortunately, the Clippers will have Leonard for tonight’s contest, which should give the Clippers everything they need to take down this Jazz squad. And if they still come up short, Paul George‘s return isn’t too far off.

Kawhi Leonard’s impact

Just one night after falling to the Jazz last Wednesday, the LA Clippers earned a hard-fought win over the San Antonio Spurs. Each game helped to define Kawhi Leonard’s value to this team.

The Clippers, as outlined above, struggled on both ends of the floor against Utah without the presence of Leonard. Against the Spurs, it was an entirely different story.

At the time, San Antonio was one of just two remaining undefeated teams in the NBA. They looked the part too, keeping things relatively close throughout the entirety of the game. However, Leonard’s dominance was too much for them, as he went off for 38 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and four steals in 34 minutes.

We shouldn’t expect Leonard to do this each night, but his presence was what won the game versus San Antonio — and that same argument could be made going into tonight’s matchup with Utah.

The Clippers should be better on both ends of the floor than they were last week, particularly on offense. After all, it wasn’t Utah’s wings that won the game.

Leonard’s ability to move the ball should help create better looks for guys like Landry Shamet, Maurice Harkless and Patrick Patterson, who combined for just 10 points in LA’s first outing against the Jazz. His gravity should help that too, forcing defenders to sag off of their man so they can help prevent Leonard from getting to his spots.

More Ivica Zubac

In last week’s loss, Ivica Zubac was easily one of the LA Clippers’ best players, going for eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks in roughly 18 minutes of play. And while that line might not seem all that impressive, consider the fact that he was playing against Rudy Gobert, who’s widely regarded to be the best defensive player in basketball.

Based on that performance, Zu may be able to carve out some more minutes in tonight’s matchup — especially since he’s been so productive alongside Kawhi Leonard.

However, Zu also saw a bump in minutes in part because of Montrezl Harrell’s early issues with fouls. His 13 minutes of action were unusually low, and we’ve yet to see both Harrell and Zubac on the floor together.

Zu’s minutes will be determined by several factors, but if he can make an impact with the starting group, LA’s coaching staff may be inclined to cut into Harrell’s minutes and keep Zu on the floor.

Significant rest advantage

Since the regular season began, the LA Clippers haven’t had more than a single day of rest between games — at least, not until this weekend.

After hosting the Spurs last Thursday, the Clippers got to take Friday and Saturday off in preparation for their matchup with the Jazz. Meanwhile, Utah only got Saturday off.

It’s not a huge rest advantage, but given its the longest the Clippers have had all year, they should come out looking like the fresher team.

dark. Next. LA Clippers' team grades from win versus Spurs

The LA Clippers and Utah Jazz will tip-off tonight at 6:00 p.m. PST.  Be sure to follow along with us @ClipperholicsFS on Twitter for live updates and analysis!

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