National Basketball Association
Utah 106, L.A. Clippers 100
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, January 1, 2021
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials:
#55 Bill Kennedy, #77 Karl Lane, #28 Mousa Dagher
Attendance:
1932
By Field Level Media
Mike Conley scored 33 points and hit a career-high-tying seven 3-pointers to lift the Utah Jazz to a 106-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
On a night when Jazz leading scorer Donovan Mitchell had a quiet outing with just 15 points, Conley picked up the slack for Utah with his first 30-point game since March 2019. Conley scored seven of the Jazz's last nine points, hitting a shot-clock-beating 3-pointer and sinking four free throws in the final 1:48.
It was a much-needed win for the Jazz, who had lost their prior two home games this season, including a blowout defeat against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
Paul George scored 25 points to lead the Clippers, who had won four of their previous five games. Kawhi Leonard, sporting a mask for his injured mouth, contributed 20 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
George refused to let the Jazz cruise to a win down the stretch, draining three 3-pointers in the final 3 1/2 minutes to keep Los Angeles within striking distance.
The Jazz led by as many as 20 points, but the back-and-forth game got exciting after the Clippers' Nicolas Batum sank three consecutive free throws and George hit a 3-pointer to cut Utah's lead to 95-94 with 3:15 to play.
Rudy Gobert, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, put Utah up 102-94 with an inside hoop, giving the Jazz enough cushion to hand the Clippers their sixth straight loss in Salt Lake City.
Utah used an 18-2 run to take a 31-17 lead late in the first quarter, and then Jordan Clarkson and Conley opened the second with treys for a 37-19 advantage.
The Clippers surged to pull within 43-42, but the Jazz finished the second quarter strong with an 8-0 run, then kept that momentum going after the break. Mitchell, Conley and Royce O'Neale hit 3-pointers early in the third as Utah boosted its lead to 60-42 as Utah scored 17 consecutive points spanning the break.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| L.A. Clippers |
|
Utah |
|
Paul George 25 |
Scoring |
Mike Conley 33 |
|
Kawhi Leonard 9 |
Assists |
Mike Conley 7 |
|
Kawhi Leonard 16 |
Rebounds |
Derrick Favors 11 |
|
Paul George 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Mike Conley 4 |
|
Paul George 6 |
Steals |
Jordan Clarkson 1 |
|
Kawhi Leonard 3 |
Blocks |
Jordan Clarkson 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| L.A. Clippers
|
100 |
38.8 |
13-33 |
21-24 |
19 |
43 |
8 |
6 |
10 |
| Utah
|
106 |
46.1 |
15-42 |
9-14 |
28 |
46 |
3 |
3 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Utah will play their next game on the road against San Antonio. The Jazz have a W/L % of .333 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
-
L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Phoenix. The Clippers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
For more information, contact us