The Roundup—Jazz 96, Clippers 112

The Clippers blitzed the Jazz early, jumping out to a 35-18 lead after one quarter and holding on for a 112-96 win Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena. 

“We started poorly, which was unfortunate,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “When you’re playing from behind all game, it’s tough to generate emotion and enthusiasm—and that’s what we need to make up for our inconsistency right now.”

The Jazz went on a 17-2 run to close the gap to five points in the second quarter before the Clippers pulled away again behind Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

Griffin scored 28 points (on 13-for-18 shooting) to lead the Clippers, while Paul notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Jamal Crawford went off for 22 points off the bench.

Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with a game-high 30 points. He went 11-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. Derrick Favors added 19 points and seven rebounds, while Alec Burks had 12 points and a team-high four assists in the loss.

The Clippers shot 56.3 percent from the field. It’s unlikely that anybody would beat them when they shoot like that. Griffin, Paul and Crawford combined to go 28-for-48 (58.3 percent).

Utah’s bench needed a spark after managing only three points against the Thunder on Wednesday, and Trevor Booker was more than up to the task. Booker nearly had a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench, and he pumped up the crowd with a two-handed putback slam early in the fourth quarter.

Crawford and J.J. Redick drilled back-to-back threes midway through the fourth quarter. The Jazz had cut L.A.’s lead to 12, but the Clippers quickly stretched their lead back to 18 and killed Utah’s momentum.

A buzzer-beating three by Danté Exum at the end of the first quarter kick-started Utah’s 17-2 run. As a team, the Jazz went 7-for-21 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Late in the third quarter, Crawford drove past Joe Ingles on the right then tried for a scoop shot, which was sent into the first row of the stands by Rudy Gobert, who finished with two blocks.

Hayward scored 20 points in the second quarter, setting a new career high for points in one quarter. ... Rodney Hood returned to action after missing 10 games due to plantar fasciitis. He went 0-for-6 from the field and hit two free throws in 14 minutes. ... J.J. Redick has now made a 3-pointer in 22 straight games. ... The Jazz went only 21-for-33 from the free-throw line as Hayward (4-for-8), Favors (3-for-6) and Burks (3-for-5) each struggled.

The Jazz will stay at home for a game Monday night against the Denver Nuggets. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.