Clippers ease past Jazz, clinch playoff slot
LOS ANGELES -- For the sixth season in a row, the Los Angeles Clippers are heading to the playoffs.
Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 28 points and the Clippers rolled past the Utah Jazz 108-95 on Saturday at Staples Center.
Blake Griffin contributed 15 points and six rebounds for the Clippers (44-30), who clinched a playoff berth with the win and pulled within a half-game of the Jazz for the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Chris Paul scored 14 points, J.J. Redick added 12 and Austin Rivers and Marreese Speights had 11 apiece for Los Angeles. DeAndre Jordan grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds to go with seven points.
Rudy Gobert had 26 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Jazz (44-29). Joe Johnson collected 17 points and Gordon Hayward scored 13 before the leaving the contest midway through the fourth quarter with an unknown injury.
Los Angeles has defeated Utah in 18 of its past 20 meetings, including the last five games at Staples.
The Clippers opened the fourth quarter with 12-3 run for an 84-73 edge after Crawford scored on a drive with 7:16 remaining. The Jazz never got any closer than nine the rest of the way.
The Jazz rallied in the third quarter after trailing by as much as 15 points. Utah used a 20-4 surge to tie the score at 70 after a bucket by Johnson with 35 seconds left in the period. A basket by Paul Pierce gave the Clippers a 72-70 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Clippers raced to a 28-14 advantage after one quarter before the Jazz cut it to 49-41 at the break. Crawford scored 11 points in the first half.
NOTES: Jazz C Rudy Gobert has a blocked shot in 41 consecutive games, which is the longest streak in the NBA. Gobert has recorded a block in 69 of the Jazz's 73 contests. ... Clippers F Paul Pierce, who scored four points against the Jazz, is 14 points shy of passing John Havlicek (26,395) for 15th place on the league's all-time scoring list. ... Utah F Derrick Favors (left knee bone contusion) missed his ninth straight game. ... The Jazz host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. ... The Clippers play the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at Staples Center.