Jazz Extend Win Streak To Eight With Victory Over Clippers

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz moved to 20-7 on the season, and won their eighth consecutive game with a 124-103 win over the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers.

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points on 10-15 shooting while handing out six assists for the Jazz eighth consecutive win.

The Clippers were without Paul George who missed the game with a calf injury and were led by Marcus Morris Sr. with 24 points.

First Quarter

The Jazz didn’t maintain their hot shooting after three days off, nor did they have their rhythm even finding the looks in the first quarter.

After averaging 45 attempts per game during their four-game road trip, the Jazz attempted just seven in the first 12 minutes against the Clippers.

Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside picked up where they left off against Washington last week.#TakeNote https://t.co/QVvXcWk0eD

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 16, 2021

The Jazz made just two of their seven attempts, but were carried offensively takes to a perfect 7-7 performance from Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside for 15 points.

After one, the Jazz led the Clippers 35-31.

Second Quarter

The Clippers came out with a strong push to start the second quarter and built a seven point lead at 45-38.

Trent Forrest struggled to defend Eric Bledsoe in his limited minutes which allowed the guard to score a game-high 15 points off the bench on a perfect 6-6 shooting.

However, the Jazz countered with a 25-12 run over the final eight minutes of the quarter fueled by Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic who combined for 19 points in the period.

At the break, the Jazz led the Clippers 65-59.

Third Quarter

The Jazz followed the script of their last three wins, staying close during the first half before opening up a double-digit lead over their opponent in the third quarter.

The Clippers who were shorthanded without Paul George or Nicolas Batum were relying on extra minutes from the deeper half of their bench and struggled to keep up with the Jazz.

🕷️catching 🔥#TakeNote https://t.co/3mK3SOuOgm

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 16, 2021

After a poor shooting first half, Mitchell shot a perfect 5-5 from the floor including his first made three 13 points in the quarter and 21 overall for the game.

After three, the Jazz led the Clippers 93-81.

Fourth Quarter

The Jazz struggled to score in the second half without Mitchell, and after building a 15 point lead in the third, saw the Clippers cut their deficit to just eight with just over nine minutes left in the game.

But Mitchell returned to the game, immediately canned a three-pointer and maintained control of the team’s offense for the rest of the game.

The All-Star guard finished with 27 points on 10-15 shooting while dishing out six assists.

The Jazz extended their win streak to eight games with wins in 11 of their last 13 outings.

Follow @benshoops