10:00 PM EST, ESPN2 – Line: Clippers -1.5, Over/Under: 197
Paul was clutch in Game Two, scoring 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while knocking down 3-of-4 from downtown, and dishing out ten assists in the 99-91 win.
After a pair of tightly contested affairs in the City of Angels, Salt Lake City will serve as the venue as the Utah Jazz host the Los Angeles Clippers in Game Three of the First Round of the Playoffs from Vivint Smart Home Arena, looking to break the deadlock at one game apiece. After losing home court advantage in Game One, the Clippers (51-31, 4th in Western Conference) absolutely needed to win Game Two, if for nothing other than their mental state moving forward. There was a great deal of tension surrounding this team throughout the campaign, as they had the feel of a group whose window was closing shut before their very eyes, made only worse by the impending Free Agency of All-Stars such as Chris Paul (18.1 PTS, 47.6% FG, 41.1% 3FG, 5.0 REB, 9.2 AST, 1.9 STL) and Blake Griffin (21.6 PTS, 49.3% FG, 33.6% 3FG, 8.1 REB, 4.9 AST, 1.0 STL). For all their bluster, while being one of the more successful teams in the league over the past four seasons, Los Angeles hasn’t quite lived up to their billing in the Playoffs, where they have become the only team in the league to surrender a series lead en route to elimination in each of the past three trips to the Postseason. Make no mistake about it: this is a fragile unit, plain and simple. And again, that is why it was so important for them to draw even with Utah as the series shifts to Salt Lake, for a two-game hole could have been a proverbial death sentence for these guys. However, Doc Rivers’ charges would be having none of that this past Tuesday Night, as they grinded out a hard-fought 99-91 victory despite the visitors’ numerous second half rallies. There was clearly a sense of urgency for the Clippers, who stormed out to a twelve-point lead in the first stanza of action, with their Big Three going a white-hot 10-of-13 from the field (76.9%). Offensively, the home side was far more fluid than they were in Game One, shooting a stellar 52.4% from the field, assisting on twenty-six of their forty-four field goals, with the bulk of their work coming in the Paint, where they mercilessly pounded the Rudy Gobert-less Jazz, outscoring them 60-38 in that regard. The pair of DeAndre Jordan (12.7 PTS, 71.4% FG, 13.8 REB, 1.2 AST, 1.7 BLK) and the aforementioned Griffin accounted for a combined forty-two points on 20-of-32 shooting (62.5%), twenty rebounds, a steal, and a pair of blocks, while Paul hit a series of clutch scores in the Fourth Quarter ending the night with twenty-one points on 9-of-15 shooting (60.0%), including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc (75.0%), along with two rebounds, ten assists, three steals, and a block. Interestingly, all their work in the Paint didn’t translate to many opportunities at the Free-Throw Line, where they only attempted a scant eight free-throws, which Rivers lamented in the Post Game Press Conference. There’s some credence here, for during the Regular Season, this team was very acquainted with the Charity Stripe, attempting an average of twenty singles a night, third-most in the NBA, while shooting free-throws on 23.3% of their Field Goal Attempts, also good for third in the league. By comparison, they shot seventeen of them in Game One, while Utah attempted twenty-two in Tuesday Night’s contest. Either way, the Clippers can’t just sit back and expect the referees to give them a wealth of free-throws, for they need to remain aggressive and continue to attack the rim, and eventually they will be rewarded for it. After all, this may be the last time we see this squad as currently comprised, which they seem to be all too aware of. So with that said, go out and play like it Clips, and perhaps this union will last a little while longer…
After hyperextending his knee in Game One, it is unclear if Gobert will return for Game Three or at all in this series.
Meanwhile, the Jazz (51-31, 5th in Western Conference) succeeded in their mission in storming into Los Angeles and stealing Home Court Advantage away from their counterpart, and must be rather satisfied as they host the next two games in this series. After all, the Clippers were awarded the Fourth Seed on the basis of an obscure tiebreaker, which in the present seems to mean very little, as Utah’s high altitude and noisy fan base figure to wreck a bit of havoc on Lob City. The big story though, continues to be the health of Rudy Gobert (14.0 PTS, 66.3% FG, 12.8 REB, 1.2 AST, 2.6 BLK), who hyperextended his left knee along with a bone bruise in the early stages of Game. Like seventeen seconds into the game early. At the moment, it remains unclear as to whether the 7-1 Frenchman will be able to return to action tonight or at all in the series, as Quin Snyder and his Staff are taking every precaution imaginable in nursing him along. Just how important is this guy, you ask? Well, it would be a gross understatement to say that he played no small part in this team giving up the fewest points in the league (96.8), along with the lowest field goal percentage inside of the three-point arc (47.6%). Granted, they do operate at the slowest pace in the NBA (91.6 possessions per 48 minutes), but when it comes to protecting the basket, there are few in the league better than 24-year old. As we covered earlier, Los Angeles immediately recognized his absence in the Paint and wasted no time in exploiting that weakness Tuesday Night, and will in all likelihood do so repeatedly until he returns. So with that said, in the event that Gobert cannot suit up, then the likes of Derrick Favors (9.5 PTS, 48.7% FG, 6.1 REB, 1.1 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.8 BLK), Joe Ingles (7.1 PTS, 45.3% FG, 44.1% 3FG, 3.2 ERB, 2.7 AST, 1.2 STL), and Gordon Hayward (21.9 PTS, 47.1% FG, 39.8% 3FG, 5.4 REB, 3.5 AST, 1.0 STL) are going to have to make it a team effort in keeping the likes of Griffin and Jordan out of the painted area. However, another area where Snyder’s charges are going to have tighten things up is on the offensive end of the court, where they were far too charitable in Game Two, committing thirteen turnovers in comparison to fifteen assists, which is no recipe for success when you’re looking to maximize your possessions. It’s here where they need Hayward to step up, particularly after shooting a miserable 5-of-15 from the field (33.3%), which is rather alarming when you consider the Clippers’ struggles in defending wings throughout the years. Far too often the Jazz had to rely on Joe Johnson (9.2 PTS, 43.6% FG, 41.1% 3FG, 3.1 REB, 1.8 AST) to lead them in the Half Court, even though it’s become very clear that Iso Joe, as he was affectionately known as during his tenure in Atlanta and Brooklyn, isn’t capable of carrying a team anymore, evidenced by his 0-for-4 shooting from downtown Tuesday Night. The visiting side attempted to run the offense through the -year old during a number of stretches of the final frames of both Games One and Two, scoring thirteen points on 6-of-15 shooting (40.0%) in the latter. Shooting woes aside, one of the reason that Utah has been such a thorn in their counterparts’ side has been their three-point shooting, knocking down eighteen of their forty-four three-pointers (40.9%), four more than Los Angeles, who have attempted the same amount of treys.