Norman Powell, Reggie Jackson propel Clippers past Jazz
Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, left, celebrates with Norman Powell after a 3-point shot during the second half of their game against the Utah Jazz on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard controls the ball as Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt, left, grabs a rebound away from Clippers guard Terance Mann during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Amir Coffey has the ball knocked from his hands by Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, left, as forward Lauri Markkanen, right, defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Clippers’ Amir Coffey soars to the basket as Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton looks on during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Utah Jazz guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, right shoots as Clippers guard Amir Coffey defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, left, and forward Simone Fontecchio, right, go after a rebound along with Clippers forward Nicolas Batum during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, right, shoots as Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt (8) and guard Collin Sexton (2) defend while center Ivica Zubac (40) watches during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton, left, shoots as Clippers forward Nicolas Batum defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Norman Powell is fouled by Utah Jazz forward Walker Kessler during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, right, shoots as Clippers forward Nicolas Batum defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Amir Coffey, left, and guard John Wall, right, grapple for the ball with Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard John Wall celebrates after scoring during the first half of their game against the Utah Jazz on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk, right, shoots as Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, right, dunks as Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, lower left, watches during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard John Wall, center, passes the ball as Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker, right, defends while forward Nicolas Batum watches during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard shoots as Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt reaches for a rebound as Clippers center Ivica Zubac grapples with him during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, center, shoots as Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, and guard Reggie Jackson defend during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Norman Powell, right, shoots as Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk defends during the first half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. Powell scored a season-high 30 points in a 121-114 win. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker, left, blocks the shot of Clippers guard Amir Coffey during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker, right, shoots as Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard defends during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, shoots as Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen defends during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, right, steals the ball from Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, right, steals the ball from Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Norman Powell, right, shoots as Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler defends during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, forward Nicolas Batum (33) and guard Reggie Jackson, right, go after a rebound along with Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt (8) during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton, right, shoots as Clippers guard Amir Coffey, left, defends and forward Nicolas Batum watches during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, drives against Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton, left, shoots as Clippers guard Amir Coffey defends during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Norman Powell, right, shoots as Utah Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk defends during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, left, blocks the shot of Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Norman Powell, left, shoots as Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler defends during the second half on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Reggie Jackson celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the second half of their game against the Utah Jazz on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES — The Utah Jazz was without guard Mike Conley. The Clippers didn’t have Paul George. Rudy Gay was missing from the Jazz’s lineup, while guard Luke Kennard was still on the Clippers’ bench because of a calf strain.
Even without key players, both teams still had enough star power to make Monday night’s game competitive, a contest that saw each team take over the lead, lose the lead and sweat out the finish.
In the end, it came down to which team could come up with the right play and that ended up being the Clippers. After several frenetic seconds that included misses and challenges, they held off the Jazz, 121-114.
“You just love competition, honestly. Like, you love competition, you love when people don’t back down,” Clippers guard Reggie Jackson said. “They come out, they continue to fight.
“I think we were tested and we know we’re going see that team again. But it was enjoyable. I just appreciated how we settled into the moment. We didn’t panic, honestly.”
George missed his second game of the season after straining his right hamstring in the Clippers’ victory over San Antonio on Saturday and is out indefinitely. He sat out a game earlier this season because of a non-COVID-related illness.
But the Clippers (11-7) didn’t flinch in his absence. Everyone helped push the Clippers to a thirdconsecutive victory.
Coach Tyronn Lue said this season, which is nearing the quarter mark, has been “all over the place” but credited his player for not giving up on nights like this.
“No matter who’s on the floor, we always feel like we have a chance to win and that’s the mindset we want to have every night,” Lue said. “It’s tough some nights and it’s not pretty every night, but we always seem to try to find a way to get it done and, different guys step up every single night.”
And at times, different players took charge Monday. Norman Powell had a season-high 30 (the most he has scored in a Clippers uniform), Jackson had a season-high 27 points and Ivica Zubac added 14 points and 14 rebounds. Even little-used Amir Coffey scored two layups in the fourth quarter that kept the Clippers in the game.
Then there was John Wall, who put on a fast-break show in the first half.
Wall has been on a minutes-restriction schedule and doesn’t play both nights of back-to-back sets after missing most of the past two seasons. The intent was to bring him along slowly.
The trouble is, Wall doesn’t know how to go slow.
He was running in transition like his life depended on it in the first half. On a few such runs, Wall needed to throw backward to the teammate trying to catch up. And when he got moving, it didn’t matter who was on the receiving end of his quick flick-of-the-wrist passes; nearly everyone benefitted.
He finished with eight assists and 13 points. The Clippers scored 22 fast-break points in the game.
“I didn’t think it would come this quick, but he’s been playing at a high level, and we are getting into the paint and pushing the basketball,” Lue said. “It changes our team, and he changes who we are offensively.”
After leading by as many as 17 points in the first half, the Clippers fell into bad habits in the third quarter. They had collected 13 turnovers in the first three quarters and finished with 15. That enabled the Jazz, who tightened up their defense, to take the lead.
Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game
But with Kawhi Leonard on the floor, they were able to keep the Jazz (12-6) from building on a slim three-point lead. The Clippers kept fighting until they regained the lead late in the game.
Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game
“I think he just knows his impact on the floor,” said Powell, who was 10 for 15 from the field. “I mean, it doesn’t matter if he takes two shots or 20, you know? The defense, they are going to be locked in on him. Teams are going to be focused on him, try to take him out of the game and he’s just making the easy, simple basketball plays.”
The Clippers ran out to a 66-56 lead by halftime behind the spirited play of Wall, the shooting of Powell, the rebounding of Zubac and the defense of Leonard.
Leonard didn’t have big numbers in his first 11 minutes, but his presence on the court opens things up for his teammates on offense. Four players were in double figures in the first half and the Clippers shot 54.2% for the half.
“It’s a different game because of his ability to impact on both sides of the court,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “There are very few players in the league that you scout defensively as well as offensively because of how disruptive he can be.”
The Jazz missed Conley, who had 17 points and seven rebounds against the Clippers when the teams met on Nov. 6, but Jordan Clarkson (26 points) and Lauri Markkanen (28) more than made up for his absence.
