Utah (34-37) at LA Clippers (41-29) 10:30 pm EST
LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Utah Jazz refuse to just let the
Sacramento Kings have the eighth playoff spot in the Western
Conference.
The Jazz look to keep the Kings on their toes when they face the
Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Utah sits only 1 1/2 games -
one in the loss column - behind Sacramento for the last playoff
seed in the West.
With a win, the Jazz will continue to gather momentum and push
their winning streak to three. They are coming off a 115-104
victory over the Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets on
Wednesday.
Mehmet Okur scored 24 points to lead six players in double
figures. Swingman Andrei Kirilenko continued his all-around
stellar play with 21 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks. He
is averaging 7.3 blocks in his last three games. Matt Harpring
added 18 points and Carlos Boozer collected 15, seven rebounds
and seven assists for Utah, which shot 59 percent (38-of-65).
The Clippers eye the opportunity to win the season series
against the Jazz for the first time since the 1985-86 season.
They also look to rebound from a 98-87 setback to the San
Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
Elton Brand tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles,
which shot a poor 38 percent (28-of-74) from the floor. Chris
Kaman added 18 points and eight boards and Corey Maggette
registered 16, 11 and six assists.
On March 3, the Jazz edged the Clippers, 105-103, thanks to
running banker by rookie Deron Williams with 2.4 seconds
remaining.





