For a team playing its 31st game, it looked like an unusual sight: Nearly every Clipper staring up at the pregame introduction video playing on Staples Center’s videoboard.
Then again, there were some faces within the footage that hadn’t appeared together in nearly a month.
With starters Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Nicolas Batum back from injuries, the Clippers and Utah Jazz, who had their own starter back in Mike Conley, dueled Friday in the teams’ final meeting and best look yet at how two contenders in the West stack up.
The Jazz entered in first place having won 20 of their last 21 games, including Wednesday against the Clippers, two spots behind in the standings. Leonard had missed three games with a leg contusion, George had missed seven because of a foot injury and Batum had missed two because of a concussion.
Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 116-112 win:
Cold from three
The stars had their moments. Neither team could pull away. But this was unexpected: way-off three-point shooting. Since Utah’s red-hot run began, it ranked third in three-point accuracy (40%), while the Clippers were first (42%). Through three quarters, because of a mix of missed open looks and strong defense, neither team could rely on that strength. The Clippers made six of their first 19 threes while Utah made nine of 28. Yet three-pointers keyed the Clippers run to finish the game. Marcus Morris made two in the fourth quarter to snap a stretch in which his team missed 11 consecutive three-pointers. Then Patrick Beverley followed with a pair of threes to push the lead to 10.
Next Mann up
Having Leonard, George and Batum back allowed the Clippers to start their usual lineup for the first time since Jan. 24. It also revealed another rotation change that has been brewing ever since. As the second guard to check in off the bench, Terance Mann leapfrogged Luke Kennard in coach Tyronn Lue’s 10-man rotation. Mann, a second-round pick in his second season, has impressed with his doggedness defensively and ability to attack the rim. Kennard was one of the Clippers’ prizes of the offseason but has yet to shoot and play aggressively with consistency.
The Clippers’ Paul George, left, celebrates with Marcus Morris after making a first-half shot. George returned after missing seven games because of swelling in a bone of a toe on his right foot.
(Kelvin Kuo / Associated Press)
Measuring minutes
Batum, Leonard and George were playing a restricted amount of minutes. It was Lue, before tipoff, who noted his goal was “ make sure that we’re cautious and not trying to overplay these guys because we want to win the game so bad.” The restriction appeared to hurt the Clippers late in the second quarter. With George, who had played nearly 13 minutes, off the floor for the half’s final six minutes, a 14-point Clippers lead was trimmed to eight at halftime. Four minutes into the second half, their lead was down to two.
Third-quarter heroics
Just as Donovan Mitchell’s limited playing time because of two fouls in his first four minutes handicapped the Jazz during the first half, the presence of the young guard was instrumental in helping Utah rally to grab a four-point lead during the third quarter. His foul trouble was an issue early because with Conley playing on his own minutes limit, Utah went without a true point guard for stretches. Mitchell scored 12 points in the third, yet his production was matched by Leonard’s own 12 points in the quarter, including 10 in the final five minutes during a 16-8 Clippers run that gave them the lead entering the final quarter.
Center of attention
The benefit of having a center like Serge Ibaka is his ability to draw centers away from the basket out of respect for his three-point threat. But as Ibaka was making just one of five threes in the first three quarters, Utah’s Rudy Gobert could sag off and roam defensively. Ibaka has made five three-pointers in his last eight games, shooting 31%, and with his backup Ivica Zubac also a nonfactor offensively Friday, the Clippers opted for a small-ball lineup with Morris at center starting with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
