3/13 Utah vs. Los Angeles Clippers
7:00 pm MT – Root Sports/League Pass
Opponent record: 40-26
Season series: Clippers lead 2-0
The last time the Jazz faced off against the Clippers felt nearly exactly the same as the first time these two teams met. In fact, the score itself was almost identical both times with the Clippers winning 88-75 the first time and 88-72 the second time. Hopefully Utah can keep LA at that consistent 88-point mark but put up several more points of their own this time around.
Truth be told, those scores are pretty much perfectly indicative of what happened in the losses. Utah’s defense easily played well enough to win the games, however their offense was downright pathetic. The Jazz shot just 39.7 percent in the first contest then dropped all the way to 32.2 percent in the second.
Without a doubt they’ll have to hit at a higher rate than that if they hope to have any chance of winning on Monday.
Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that the Jazz have struggled incredibly against the Clippers, not only this season, but over the last six years as they’ve gone just 2-17 against LA since the 2011-12 season. Until Utah’s win over LA in their first meeting last season, they had lost 13 straight to the Clippers and are now back on a four-game losing streak to them.
So in other words, it will require a major change for the Jazz to break the trend and finally come out on top this time, especially given that the Clippers have been playing well of late, winning four of their last five and Utah has struggled to compete, not only with LA, but with upper-echelon teams in the West all season long.
Throw in the fact that you never know who’s going to be playing or out with an injury next for the Jazz (the latest one sidelined was Rudy Gobert on Saturday) and I have a hard time seeing Utah coming out on top. While I was tempted to stick with the pattern and predict the Clippers to once again finish with 88 points, I decided instead to mix it up a little bit this time. Nevertheless, regardless of the final score I’m selecting LA to come out as winners in this contest.
My Prediction: Clippers Win
Final Score: Los Angeles 98, Utah 91