Clippers cruise past Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY -- Blake Griffin had 23 points and nine rebounds to help the Los Angeles Clippers coast to a 88-72 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Austin Rivers added 15 points and DeAndre Jordan chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds to power Los Angeles to its third straight win.
The Clippers (34-21) beat the Jazz for the ninth straight time in Utah, dating to January 17, 2012, and for the 17th time in the last 18 games between the teams.
Derrick Favors scored 13 points and Rudy Gobert added 10 points and 14 rebounds to lead Utah. The Jazz (34-22) lost their third straight game after shooting a dismal 32.2 percent (28 of 87) from the floor.
Utah struggled to find its shot from the opening tip. The Jazz opened the game by missing 11 of their first 13 shots.
Jordan made it tough for Utah generate any sort of consistent rhythm around the basket. He altered shots and clogged passing lanes to bog down the Jazz offense.
The Clippers initially took advantage on the other end. Rivers, Griffin and Jordan scored baskets on three straight possessions in the first two minutes to help propel Los Angeles to a 16-10 lead.
Utah finally answered with a 9-0 run to go in front 19-16 before the end of the first quarter. Joe Ingles ignited the spurt with his team's first 3-pointer and Favors drained a short jumper and two free throws to put the Jazz in front.
Momentum shifted back to the Clippers in the second quarter. Jamal Crawford made two jumpers and drove for a layup to kick-start a 17-4 run for Los Angeles. Rivers finished the run with back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Clippers a 39-27 lead with 3:03 remaining before halftime.
Making a comeback proved impossible for the Jazz. Utah was just 5 of 18 (27.8) from the field during the second quarter and showed scant improvement after halftime.
It opened the door for Los Angeles to blow the game open. The Clippers opened a 71-43 lead with 2:48 left in the third quarter after Griffin scored baskets on three straight possessions to finish off a 19-4 run.
Utah rallied to close the gap a bit. The Jazz used a 9-0 run, capped by a reverse layup from Raul Neto to trim their deficit to 83-70 with 3:59 remaining.
NOTES: The Jazz announced a three-year jersey sponsorship deal with Qualtrics, a Provo, Utah-based survey software company. Utah is the fifth NBA team to announce a similar deal this season. It is worth more than $10 million. Starting with the 2017-18 season, Jazz jerseys will feature a 5 For The Fight patch highlighting a cancer research charity started by Qualtrics. The Jazz and Qualtrics plan to raise $50 million for cancer research in the next five years. ... Clippers F Blaker Griffin is averaging 26.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in February, joining Russell Westbrook as the only NBA players with at least 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game this month. ... Jazz F Gordon Hayward has scored 30-plus points in four of his previous five games and a career-high nine times this season. It's the most 30-point games by a Utah player through 55 games since Karl Malone had 14 in the 2001-02 season. ... Clippers G Jamal Crawford shot 51.4 percent from the perimeter in his previous five games, ranking second in the NBA during that span. ... Jazz C Rudy Gobert has at least one blocked shot in 24 straight games, the longest active streak in the NBA.