The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz at LA Clippers: Keys to beating wounded Clips

By Jared Woodcox

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers handles the ball against the Utah Jazz on October 24, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 24: Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers handles the ball against the Utah Jazz on October 24, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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SACRAMENTO, CA – NOVEMBER 25: Lou Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on November 25, 2017 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA – NOVEMBER 25: Lou Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on November 25, 2017 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Key #3 – Contain Lou Williams

With Blake Griffin out of commission, the Clippers are more than likely to turn to their second leading scorer and most prolific wing player in Lou Williams. Williams is coming off an astounding 42-point outpouring in the Clippers’ last contest and he will without a doubt be a force to be reckoned with, especially considering that he’s now the main focal point of LA’s offense.

As my J-Notes colleague Ryan Aston wrote on Wednesday, this will be a nice test for Donovan Mitchell who will assume a large portion of the duties of stopping Lou. If he’s able to do even a decent job of holding the Clippers guard in check, it will go a long way in stopping a team that is down several key players that handled a significant amount of the scoring load.

After Lou Williams, the next highest scorer on the team is Austin Rivers, who has in fact played well against the Jazz in the past. However, after him, there’s a significant drop as the next player in terms of scoring that’s actually healthy is DeAndre Jordan who’s putting up just 10 points per game. All the remaining Clippers are averaging less than double figures.

Therefore, stopping Williams could very well have a “cut the head off the snake” effect and leave the Clippers with little offensive firepower with which to put up the necessary points to surpass a Jazz offense that has been surprisingly effective of late.

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