Clippers at Jazz
The Los Angeles Clippers look for their 11th consecutive victory over Utah when they visit the Jazz on Saturday. The home floor has been anything but an advantage for Utah as Los Angeles has won in each of its last five visits to Salt Lake City. The Clippers are 5-1 on a seven-game road trip after posting a 102-85 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday, while the Jazz have been off since losing 97-82 to Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
The Clippers defeated Utah 107-101 on Nov. 3 when point guard Chris Paul had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his 12th career triple-double. The Jazz have lost four consecutive games as they open a four-game homestand, and coach Quin Snyder feels he knows why his team is struggling. “It’s just the little things,” Snyder told reporters. “It is missing free throws, turnovers and negative plays that we have talked about the whole year.”
TV: 9 p.m. ET, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (10-5): Power forward Blake Griffin had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the romp over the Rockets. “I tried to be more aggressive early – getting to the lane,” Griffin told reporters. “We just did a good job of moving the ball early. Even though they were banged up, I thought it was a good test for us.” Griffin made 11-of-20 shots to break out of a three-game slump in which he was just 21-of-57 from the field.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (5-11): Snyder is frustrated that the miscues continue, and he has considered shaking up the starting lineup to see if that has an effect. “Those things are always a consideration. I think we’ve thought about a lot of things,” Snyder told reporters. “It may have something to do with it. I’m not ruling that out, but I think there are other factors that have contributed more, no matter who we would start.” The Jazz committed 19 turnovers and went 17-of-28 from the free-throw line against the Thunder, with high-priced Gordon Hayward going 7-of-14 from the line and committing eight turnovers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Clippers are 6-2 on the road after easily handling the Rockets.
2. Jazz rookie G Dante Exum has scored seven points on 3-of-15 shooting over the past four games.
3. Los Angeles SF Matt Barnes (calf) played 20 minutes against Houston after a two-game absence.