Juan Ocampo NBAE/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Clippers were outscored 30-21 by the Utah Jazz in the final 11 minutes of the 4th quarter Monday night, and the Jazz got a timely steal from backup PG Dante Exum off of SG Jamal Crawford to seal a 96-94 victory.
The loss dropped the Clippers to 1-2 in the preseason, with three more games to go in the next seven days. Here are some quick observations from this one:
- The Jazz got a nice game from their recent 1st round picks. PF Trey Lyles (12th pick overall in 2015) had 8 points and 8 rebounds off the bench in just 18:14, and though he fouled out, he finished with a game-high +13. SG Rodney Hood (23rd pick overall in 2014) had a game-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. And Exum (5th pick overall in 2014) had the aforementioned strip of Crawford, a great defensive play from a player returning from ACL surgery.
- Speaking of Hood – that makes three starting SGs in three games that have lit up the Clippers. Hood (6’8″) joined Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan (6’7″) and Golden State’s Klay Thompson (6’7″) to shoot a combined 25-of-34 from the field. That’s 73.5 percent! That’s an acceptable free throw percentage! Hood, DeRozan, and Thompson also combined to average 22.3 points in about 22.3 minutes. That’s right: a point a minute for the starting SGs the Clippers have faced this preseason.
- The Clippers got washed on the boards in a major way, as the Jazz had 51 rebounds to only 30 for Los Angeles. Lyles did work in the frontcourt for the Jazz, but PG George Hill also had 8 rebounds, 4 offensive. That’s not going to cut it for Los Angeles. One particular play that was especially damning was when Jazz rookie PF Joel Bolomboy (whom the Clippers worked out before the draft) beating out Austin Rivers, Raymond Felton, and Luc Mbah a Moute for a rebound and a ferocious slam inside 2:00 left in the game. The Clippers can try going extremely small if they want to, but there are way too many poor rebounders relative to their position on this team to stay with it for any significant stretches.
- Alan Anderson got his turn to start at SF for the Clippers along with Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. It didn’t go all that well, as Anderson finished with a game-worst -10 plus-minus in only 10:17 on the court. Anderson started, but seven Clippers saw more playing time off the bench than Anderson.
- It wasn’t all good for Griffin (5 fouls in only 20:45, only 3 rebounds, 3-of-7 FTs), but he continued to look like a meal ticket, spinning off of Boris Diaw for a dunk while converting an incredibly acrobatic flip shot while drawing a foul on C Rudy Gobert.
The Clippers will see plenty of the Jazz this month. They visit Utah next Monday for their penultimate preseason game, then host the Jazz for their home opener on October 30. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Clippers roll out the starters again next week.
I started commenting on this site 10 years ago. It was a bright light in the darkness of Clipper fandom.
I used to have friendly and intelligent arguments with Kevin Arnovitz about the value and usage rate of Corey Maggette.
My argument was based on Corey’s incredible offensive efficiency. He was consistently top 3 in Points Per Possession. He was the DeMar DeRozan of his time. And he was making only $7M per year.
And now my comments are wasted on clowns who are obsessed with Doc Rivers, Austin Rivers, and the Eric Bledsoe trade.
Unfortunately you no longer make insightful comments, you attack everyone else. I honestly doubt you ever had anything constructive to provide, I certainly havent seen it.
After 8+ years you’d think youd finally have a real identity so we could have friendly and intelligent arguments but all you do is come around to make cheap shots and then scurry away like a roach.
This comment is just more evidence of you coming around to make cheap shots without saying anything constructive. I disagree with many of the commenters here often, and yet we still seem to be able to converse despite our differences.
Maybe you need to look in the mirror and re-evaluate why you cant have rational conversations when you lead with insults.
How about you buy League Pass this year and finally become a Suns fan.
You can sate your Bledsoe appetite, well, until he tears his meniscus for the 4th time. Then you can buy a Devin Booker jersey and jump on that bandwagon.
Y’all are a bunch of bitches with nothing real to bitch about so you bitch about Doc and Austin. It got old 18 months ago. But keep banging that drum, clowns.
I get league pass every year.
Of course you only have personal attacks to make, proving the point I made.
Come up with some better material.
Signing Austin to an $11M deal was still a bad financial decision. I’m not going to change my mind because you called me names. If all youve got to try and sway my mind is comparing his contract to Evan Turner or someone else that got overpaid on some other team then youve really got no argument at all. I backed up what I said by bringing options that fill the role at a substantially lower cost. You had nothing to back up your claims.
I’ve always been concerned with giving away assets for nothing and not addressing team needs like the fact we still dont have a legitimate SF. I’ve always been concerned with cap management and overpaying for mediocre talent. I think Doc is an excellent coach but a terrible GM and I have said that from the start. Trading Bledsoe away for pennies on the dollar and signing Austin to an $11M deal are just evidence of that. Signing relatively big dollar deals on Spencer Hawes and Lance Stephenson and other players only to have to trade them away mid-season is even more evidence of that. Doc makes some terrible decisions as a GM. This is something that even the larger basketball world is aware of. Doc even knows that and that’s why they promoted Lawrence Frank. Hopefully it gets better and Doc can do what he does best which is coach.
You’re the one attacking people personally for making legitimate points about the management of the team. If you want rational discourse, dont lead with insults. All of this is largely shaped by how you present yourself and frankly you’re a dick most of the time and this dude can not abide.
Thanks for keeping the site alive, Law.
There are only two ways the Clippers can improve their rebounding: 1. Change the roster. 2. Box the f**k out.
You either acquire better rebounders or you teach the guys you have to box the f**k out.
The Clippers do neither. I guess talking about it during film sessions will get the job done.