After an impressive home victory against a Los Angeles team on Wednesday, the Utah Jazz are hoping to beat another L.A. squad on Thursday to cap a back-to-back set in Salt Lake City.
Two nights after getting blown out by 19 points against the Lakers, the Jazz responded with their own one-sided victory, 131-119 versus LeBron James, Luka Doncic & Co on Wednesday.
Utah will host the Clippers on Thursday in the teams’ final game before the All-Star break.
The Thursday contest is the rematch of a Saturday game in Los Angeles. Ivica Zubac made 13 of 16 shots for 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds while Norman Powell also scored 26 in the Clippers’ 130-110 win over the Jazz.
“I’ll do whatever it takes. I take my time and see how the defense plays me,” Zubac said after the win over Utah. “I haven’t been seeing a lot of double-teams lately, so it’s about cutting to the basket and making the right reads.”
Like the Jazz, the Clippers are coming into the Thursday game with no rest. On Wednesday, L.A. defeated the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies 128-114 before flying from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.
Bogdan Bogdanovic made his debut with the Clippers after being acquired from the Atlanta Hawks last week. He finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting and added two rebounds, one assist and a steal in 18 minutes.
“He’ll be a shooter and gives me a runner coming off screens,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said about Bogdanovic after the trade. “He has great shooting and passing ability.”
Bogdanovic said, “Fans maybe see me as just a shooter, but I can create a lot and use my IQ. This is one of the best organizations in the league and I’m only looking forward. It’s a new team and a new opportunity.”
Utah’s Lauri Markkanen, after missing the Saturday matchup against the Clippers, is coming off of a terrific performance against the Lakers. He scored 32 points, outshining James, Doncic and the rest of the Lakers, in the surprising blowout victory. The result snapped a three-game losing streak for Utah, which has only won 13 games this season.
Jordan Clarkson, who netted 24 points vs. the Clippers last weekend, had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against the Lakers. Walker Kessler, absent from the Saturday game, went 8-for-8 from the field for 16 points on Wednesday. He added eight rebounds, six blocked shots and two steals.
Utah shot 52.3 percent and dished out 30 assists while downing the Lakers.
“It’s a really good bounce-back win,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “I thought our overall effort, tenacity, competitiveness and just the fly-around factor was different tonight than it was in the last game. …
“The players deserve all the credit. They’re all tough. They’re all smart. They’re all really good human beings. They’re good teammates. They’re respectful people that have humility and they take coaching. They take ownership of the things that they need to do better.”
The Jazz will need another strong effort to register a second win in a row, which they’ve managed to do only twice all season. They have yet to produce a three-game winning streak.
The Clippers have won two in a row following a three-game skid.
