 and first half (76). It never trailed while ending the Clippers' six-game winning streak.The Jazz drove to the basket at will in the first half, shooting 62.5 percent en route to a 76-59 halftime lead.Joe Ingles got aggressive and finished with a career-high 21 points, reaching the 20-point mark for just the third time in his career. Mitchell had his 21st game of 20-plus points, most among rookies, and also had seven assists and four rebounds. Derrick Favors had 14 points and 12 rebounds.Lou Williams paced the Clippers with 31 points, 10 steals and seven assists, and he helped cut the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter. Blake Griffin added 25 points and eight rebounds.TIP-INSClippers: DeAndre Jordan missed his fourth straight game with a left ankle sprain. ... LA allowed 50 points in the paint.Jazz: Rudy Gobert played 28 minutes as he works his way back from a sprained knee. He wasn't as effective as his 23-point, 14-block effort Friday, but was able to play the second night of a back-to-back. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.HOOD-LESSHood did not play after suffering a lower left leg contusion Friday night. He's averaged a career-high 16.7 points.''I think it's collective,'' coach Quin Snyder said about replacing his offense. ''It's more about us being efficient offensively. We've got a little bit of a Chinese water torture as far as how we need to score. Everybody's got to do a little bit.''Our guys are great about being unselfish and not caring who gets shots. Different guys are going to get shots. The way we've been balanced, we've had a lot of guys lead us in scoring and have big nights. That's what we need.'' QUOTABLE''I've had the most fun that I've had in years coaching a group,'' Clippers coach Doc Rivers said before the game. ''It does remind me a lot of my first year in Orlando, we had that crazy group of guys. It's just a fun group to coach. They're extremely coachable. They want to do right. They get along and play together and sometimes you're fortunate enough to win games.'' UP NEXTClippers: Hosts Minnesota on Monday night.Jazz: Travels to face Atlanta on Monday night.---More basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball)
Jan 20, 2018 SALT LAKE CITY -- Basketball is fun again for the Los Angeles Clippers.The Clippers have been undermanned at times this season after having multiple key players sidelined with injuries. Los Angeles hasn't made excuses or thrown in the towel during those stretches. Their willingness to keep playing hard has paid off.Los Angeles enters Saturday's game with Utah as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Clippers (23-21) have won six straight games and 12 of their last 15 overall to climb back into the Western Conference playoff picture."Everybody is relaxed and happy," forward Blake Griffin said. "We're a close team. This team trusts each other. I think that's what happens when everybody gets a touch, everybody gets a shot, everybody gets involved. It's fun to play basketball this way." Lou Williams has played a key role in driving success for the Clippers in January. The veteran guard is having his best season, averaging career-highs in points (23.2), assists (5.0), 3-point field goal shooting percentage (.412) and free throw shooting percentage (.912). Over his last 10 games, Williams has averaged 31.0 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the field.Defenses are forced to focus extra attention on stopping Williams and it is opening the door for other players to do big things for the Clippers. In a 109-104 win over Denver on Wednesday, bench players Montrezl Harrell and Wesley Johnson combined for 33 points."We can be down 10," Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers said. "We've been down 20. This team has -- I don't know what it is, but they keep playing." Utah would love to emulate the turnaround that the Clippers have enjoyed. The Jazz (18-27) have been in a freefall since early December. They have lost 16 of their last 21 games -- the latest setback being a 117-115 loss to New York on Friday.There is some hope Utah can turn it around now that Rudy Gobert is back on the court. Gobert returned to action against the Knicks after missing 15 games with a PCL strain and bone bruise. He scored a season-high 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked three shots.Gobert had some moments of fatigue, but he showed well enough to merit being on the court late in the game and playing 30 minutes total."I thought he had some really good moments," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "Unfortunately, collectively, we didn't on the defensive end in the second half. That cost us the game." The Jazz and the Clippers split the first two games in their season series. Utah won most recently, defeating Los Angeles 126-107 on Nov. 30. As a team, the Jazz tallied 38 assists and shot 57.6 percent from the field. Alec Burks led the way with a season-high 28 points in 29 minutes off the bench.Gobert's return could loom large for Los Angeles, who will have a critical absence in the middle. DeAndre Jordan has missed three straight games because of a left ankle sprain and is not expected to be ready to play in Salt Lake City.
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