Clippers Jazz Playoffs

2021 NBA Playoffs: Jazz rain threes, overwhelm Clippers

Myer Lee

Any team that makes 20-39 threes (51%) has an excellent shot of winning any game.

The Utah Jazz took and made the most threes during the regular season, averaging 16.7 makes and 43 attempts a game.

So, it’s no shocker they blitzed the Clippers with the three-ball to defeat Los Angeles 117-111 and go up 2-0 in the series.

Jazz center Rudy Gobert said the Jazz organization wanted to surround him and star Donovan Mitchell with shooting. He has complete trust in anyone on the team – aside from himself – to knock down threes, he said.

“When we move the ball like that, it’s not easy to guard,” Gobert said.

But some way, somehow, the pesky Clippers fought their way back from a 21-point deficit to briefly take a 101-99 lead with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter. Reggie Jackson, who scored 29 points for the Clippers, made two back-to-back threes to give Los Angeles the lead.

The Jazz countered by sticking to their three-point formula. Utah made three big threes, a driving laying and an and-1 dunk to piece together a 14-2 run and build a 10-point lead.

“We took a punch and we were able to collect ourselves,” said Quin Snyder, Utah head coach. “..I thought we were resilient and mentally tough.”

Clippers leading man Kawhi Leonard and his team are in familiar territory with a 0-2 series deficit, which they had to overcome to beat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Other similarities to their last series include their opponent barraged them with threes the first two games, the supporting cast buried the Clippers and the opponents’ star wreaked havoc. Mitchell scored 45 points in Game 1 and 37 points in Game 2.

The Clippers must try to limit Mitchell, who can also get his teammates like Jordan Clarkson (24 points) and Joe Ingles (19 points) going, Leonard said.

Despite the two losses, the Clippers have a lot of fight left in them and are up for the challenge, Leonard said.

But so are the Jazz. Gobert and his team realize what’s at stake, he said.

“We really feel like we have an opportunity to accomplish something special this year,” Gobert said. “We don’t want to miss out on the opportunity.”