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Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, left, arrives for a recovery alongside Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard during the second half of Game 3 of the second round of the NBA basketball series on Saturday, June 12, 2021 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Well, suffice to say, not much has gone the way the Utah Jazz planned Saturday night at Game 3 in Los Angeles.
The much-publicized defense, which was praised for shutting down stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in its first two games, was offended to a total of 65 points by these two companies and 56/53/82 by the Clippers as a whole. .
Utah offense limited the area, recording 19 three-pointers with an efficiency of 43%, but the improved ball movement sought by coach Quinn Snyder was nowhere to be found, as evidenced by committing more passes (16) than assists (15).
Oh, and Donovan Mitchell re-injured his swinging ankle late in the fourth quarter.
It all added to the ugly 132-106 loss at Staples Center.
The defeat reduced Utah’s advantage in the Western Conference semifinal series to 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Monday.
The Jazz were behind for most of the game – despite a foolish 8-0 golden break to start the game – but rushed the eight-point distance a few times late in the third quarter.
Each time, the problem was the same: no ability to generate stops on any consistent basis.
As the game went on, Los Angeles scored 38 points in the fourth quarter to move away.
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The Jazz is up a little by three seconds, but the 94-83 trail goes into the fourth quarter
Perhaps the biggest story coming out of the game is Mitchell’s health. He seemed to be pinching his ankle going down trying to throw the ball in the fourth quarter, and he ended up limping down the team tunnel a bit.
After he was evaluated on the bench, he tried to check in again, but was stopped by coach Quin Snyder.
This story will be updated.
They ran… and they ran several times. They’ve broken into the lead, but can they get enough stopping points for it to matter?
The Utah Jazz had an impressive third quarter, finally amassing enough good possessions to close the gap a bit in the Clippers in Game 3 on Saturday night. After recovering twice within eight points, they settled on a 94-83 deficit in the last 12 minutes.
While Utah had 3 huge throws from Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neill and Bojan Bogdanovic – and they were 16 of 34 completely outside the arc – the Jazz remained inaccurate defensively.
Kawhi Leonard found a groove (22 points) and Paul George stayed hot (25). LA fires 52.9% overall and 14 out of 29 from depth.
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Jazz Trail Clippers 64-49 in the first half
The Clippers vowed to be aggressive and physical in Game 3, and they did – making life difficult for Jazz Attack.
Meanwhile, Utah did not reciprocate, with Los Angeles having one open shot after another in the first half on Saturday night, enabling the Clippers to lead 64-49 at the break.
Paul George scored 20 points, Reggie Jackson added 14, and the Clippers hit 52.1% from the field overall and 10-20 from a 3-point range.
The Jazz was saved from explosion only by the sudden appearance of Donovan Mitchell, who, after a first goalless quarter, grabbed 16 consecutive points per second at one point. Joe Engels has 14, Jordan Clarkson has 11, but Utah has none from Bojan Bogdanovic (four points, 1 on 5 shooting) and Royce O’Neill (0 points, 0 on 2).
The Jazz ended up firing just 40.9% overall, but at least 11 of the 23 crossed the arc.
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Jazz starts fast, slows down, clippers follow 27-23 after the first quarter
Once again, the Utah Jazz sped off offensively fast. And again, they had some trouble maintaining it.
The Jazz hit their first three shots in Game Three on Saturday in Los Angeles, to lead 8-0, then go 6 of 20 the rest of the period. Donovan Mitchell scored zero points on 0-3 from the field – without goals in the first quarter of a playoff for the first time in his career. Joe Engels was at least hot, with 11 points on 4 of 7.
In the meantime, the Clippers quickly got rid of their slow start, unleashing some aggressive defense that forced the Jazz out onto the field. They were also effective on offense – shooting 11 of 21 overall and 3 of 6 from depth to take a 27-23 lead.
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Clippers vow to bring more fitness; Quinn Snyder says keeping Mike Conley out is not a strategy
Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lu said in Saturday’s pre-game meeting with the media that he does not envision making any major changes with his team trailing the Utah Jazz 0-2 in the Western Conference semi-final series.
However, he said some minor tweaks were necessary, notably that the Clippers do a better job with a 1v1 defense against the likes of Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson, and with them being more physical.
“Just try to make it hard,” he said, “and bring in physical strength.” “We have to maintain our physicality because they are trying to do a good job by running through our screens. So we have to bring fitness when we do the check-up and [make sure] We hit our bodies.”
Jazz coach Quinn Snyder spoke right after Lue, telling of his comments about fitness, and noting that Utah players will need to walk a fine line between matching them and not overdoing it.
He also spoke of the Jazz need to be prepared for referees who allow for a different style of play, and not waste time or effort arguing about that.
“We have to be physical. That’s what the playoffs are all about. There are ways to be physical without pollution,” Snyder said. “…the most important thing is not to look for any outside help for that, you have to be really mentally strong in those situations. And if the game is played a certain way, you have to respond.”
Meanwhile, with injured goalkeeper Mike Conley ruled out for the third game in a row, Snyder was asked if the Jazz’s current 2-0 lead in Game Three on Saturday played a factor in the decision to keep the All-Stars shelved. a little longer.
The coach replied that making a decision on this basis would be the height of arrogance.
“It has nothing to do with our feeling of any form of accomplishment, after we won two games. Mike isn’t ready to go yet. He works hard every day to try to come back. But we don’t feel in any way any small form of success,” Snyder said. Obviously, you’re happy to win two games, but seeing that we lost game one against the last Memphis series, and obviously the Clippers lost to Dallas and then won the series — we know how tough this series is. And when Mike’s ready, he’ll be back.”
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