The Los Angeles Clippers edged the Utah Jazz 101-97 after an intensely competitive fourth quarter. The Clippers have earned their first preseason victory, while the Jazz have lost their first preseason game.
The game started off a bit stale as both teams were quite sloppy in the first quarter. However, the Jazz took a one-point lead after the period and held on to that lead at the end of the half.
The second half got intense as Trey Burke came alive for the Jazz, scoring 10 of his 21 in the third quarter. Late in the quarter, in a play where Blake Griffin was trying to go up for a dunk, Trevor Booker shoved him in mid-air, leading to a small scuffle between the two teams. During the scuffle, Griffin had a hold of Booker’s head, but the referees separated the two.
Booker was charged with a flagrant one and a technical foul, while Griffin received a technical foul as well. From that point on, the crowd became more involved as both teams went at it hard.
The Jazz grabbed an eight-point lead with 1:25 to go in the third quarter, but the Clippers came back to take a one-point lead after Jamal Crawford completed a signature four-point play, and Spencer Hawes drained a three-point bucket of his own.
The fourth quarter saw intense back-and-forth action between the two teams. Hawes made a two-point shot, Derrick Favors answered. Hawes hit another two-point shot, Enes Kanter responded. Crawford knocked down a three, Trey Burke answered, and Hawes responded.
The game came down to the wire, all tied up at 95 with 31 seconds remaining. The Clippers put the ball in Chris Paul’s hands, and he attacked the rim, drew a couple of defenders, kicked it out to Hawes in the corner, who made an extra pass to Crawford at the wing, and Crawford knocked down a wide open three pointer to give the Clippers a three-point lead.
The Clippers played smart on the defensive end as they fouled Trey Burke to send him to the line rather than allowing Utah to attempt a three pointer. Unfortunately for the Jazz, Burke missed his first costless throw, which pretty much sealed Utah’s faith. The Clippers put the game away 101-97.
Spencer Hawes and Jamal Crawford combined for 49 points off the bench, scoring 24 and 25 points respectively. Blake Griffin put in 17 points. Chris Paul chipped in with 11 points and nine assists. As for DeAndre Jordan, he only scored nine points, but gobbled down 17 boards.
The Jazz were led by Gordon Hayward who scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists, and came away with six steals in this one. Trey Burke, who is showing steady improvements, added six assists and five rebounds to go along with his 21 points.
Hawes is certainly giving the Clippers something they have never had off their bench. He is stretching the floor at the center position, grabbing rebounds, scoring, and making clever plays.
After the game, Trevor Booker, who sprained his ankle during the match, was seen wearing a walking boot.
The Utah Jazz will clash once again with the Los Angeles Lakers in their next game on Sunday, October 19. The Los Angeles Clippers will play tomorrow, October 18, against the Denver Nuggets in Las Vegas.