Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers: Keys to the Game
Key Performer – Gordon Hayward
Prior to the last game between the Jazz and Clippers, I predicted a bounce back game for Gordon Hayward given how much he had struggled in the previous meeting and he most certainly delivered. Hayward finished with a team-high 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting while knocking down four of his five three-point attempts.
It’s been noted in the past and was brought up earlier this season that Doc Rivers has said he has a “man crush” on Gordon Hayward and the first-time All-Star certainly justified those feelings in the latest outing. While Luc Mbah a Moute is an exceptional wing defender, Hayward proved to be more than he could handle especially given that he didn’t provide much of a threat to Gordon on the offensive end, allowing Hayward to conserve his energy for scoring the basketball.
In fact, the last time these two teams met, the Clippers’ inability to put in a small forward that could both contain Hayward and serve as a threat on offense turned out to be an enormous detriment for them. If you’re looking for a great read on this so-called “Luc Mbah a Moute Conundrum”, be sure to check out this excellent piece from FanRag Sports:
Jazz didn't just beat the Clippers last night; @NekiasNBA says they exposed them. https://t.co/mkfsxMmXcE
— FRS Hoopz (@FRS_Hoopz) March 14, 2017
Therefore, I expect Gordon Hayward to once again come out strong and that his performance will be the key deciding factor in whether the Jazz win or lose.
He’s coming off an interesting pair of games, one against the Pacers where he was nearly unstoppable, putting up a career-high 38 points, and one against the Knicks where he quite frankly struggled to find his shot (38.5 FG%), but as true stars do when shots aren’t falling, still found a way to contribute as he finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Hopefully his efficiency can better match that of the game against Indiana, but the outcome will be the same as that against New York.