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Game Recap: Clippers fall behind early, lose to Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Utah’s rookie sensation, Donovan Mitchell, found his rhythm early against the Clippers. The Rookie of the Year candidate scored 13 points in the first quarter, hitting jumpers and throwing down windmill dunks, propelling the Jazz to 36 points in the opening quarter, creating a 10 point lead that they’d never let up.

Mitchell scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Rudy Gobert finished with his 30th double-double of the season, with 15 points on 100-percent shooting, and 10 rebounds. Dante Exum, in his 11th game since returning from injury, scored 10 points off the bench along with 5 assist, as the Jazz beat the Clippers 117- 95.

The Jazz took the lead on the first possession of the game, eventually ballooning to 28 in the third quarter. The Clippers closed the lead to single digits in the second quarter, but couldn’t limit the Jazz offense, which shot 53-percent on the game.

Austin Rivers paced the Clippers with 19 points. DeAndre Jordan barely missed his 46th double-double of the season, scoring 8 points and securing 9 rebounds, including 4 offensive. As team, the Clippers shot 43-percent from the field. The Clippers struggled from deep, connecting on just three three-pointers, on an 18-percent clip. The Jazz shot 10-of-27 behind the arc.

With the loss, the Clippers fall 2.5 games out of the playoffs, with only 3 games remaining. The Jazz sit in the fourth seed following the victory, with 3 games left. For the Clippers, they return home for a matinee game Saturday, a 12:30 PDT tip-off against the Nuggets.