Jazz 89, Clippers 73
Watching Paul Millsap take over Monday's game brought back memories of this Stan Van Gundy quote from last season. Some of us have seen Millsap get on the type of run he did Monday, namely those of us who were in Orlando last season.
"If you can't get a career-high on us, you're not doing much. It's not like we're going to compete," Van Gundy said. "Paul Millsap plays hard. If you play hard, we're going to have trouble."
Millsap's domination of Tim Thomas in the fourth quarter was probably the worst I've seen since Millsap destroyed Rashard Lewis in the second half of that Orlando. A couple of the Clippers writers caught up to Thomas after the game to ask about the matchup.
"He got rolling," Thomas said. "He got a lot of box outs that I missed and second opportunities off of those. He did a great job of nudging under me. . . .Today we just got outworked in every aspect."
The Jazz survived an 0-for-10 night from three-point range (Kyle Korver and Ronnie Price each was 0-for-3) in large part because the Clippers went 9-for-20 from the foul line. Mike Taylor and Thomas went 1-for-4 to start the fourth quarter as the Jazz began to open a lead.
Korver and Mehmet Okur both missed a pair of free throws each in the second quarter - - we were debating whether Korver had ever done that since coming to Utah - - but the Jazz went a respectable 25-for-31 from the foul line for the night.
Price and Brevin Knight combined for only two turnovers in the game, following their one-turnover total Saturday against the Clippers. Credit also should go to Price for playing the two-for-one possession game perfectly at the end of the third quarter.
Price nailed a jumper and hit Andrei Kirilenko for a dunk. With Chris Kaman splitting two free throws for the Clippers, the Jazz were able to take advantage of a three-point swing and own a 65-60 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Ronnie Brewer endured a miserable 1-for-9 shooting night but still got his second taste of fourth quarter minutes in as many games. The Jazz put Brewer back in to start the fourth, although he was replaced by Korver after only 1:04.
Kaman was an absolute handful in the third quarter, scoring 11 points as he turned rebounds into baskets, ducked inside for dunks against the Jazz's zone defense and lowered his shoulder on strong drives to the rim.
Although he finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Kaman was scoreless in the fourth quarter. He also had five turnovers and went 1-for-4 from the foul line, blemishes on a night in which he made 9 of 12 shots overall.
The Jazz once again employed a zone defense in the second half against the Clippers, although with less success than Saturday's game. Baron Davis hit two three-pointers in the third quarter against the Jazz's zone.
Through three games, the Jazz are now giving up 82 points a game. That is not a misprint: The Jazz are giving up 17 points a game fewer than they did last season. It's impossible to keep up, but it bodes well for the Jazz going forward.
For the first time, the Jazz beat a full-strength team with Deron Williams out. Baron Davis and Marcus Camby both came off the bench for the Clippers. Camby looked a far cry from the player who nearly had a points/rebounds/blocks triple-double against the Jazz last season.
The Clippers announced a crowd of 12,712 for Monday's game, with entire sections in the upper deck at Staples Center empty. As I said to the person sitting next to me during the game: "I don't understand how Elton Brand could leave all this."
--Ross Siler
"If you can't get a career-high on us, you're not doing much. It's not like we're going to compete," Van Gundy said. "Paul Millsap plays hard. If you play hard, we're going to have trouble."
Millsap's domination of Tim Thomas in the fourth quarter was probably the worst I've seen since Millsap destroyed Rashard Lewis in the second half of that Orlando. A couple of the Clippers writers caught up to Thomas after the game to ask about the matchup.
"He got rolling," Thomas said. "He got a lot of box outs that I missed and second opportunities off of those. He did a great job of nudging under me. . . .Today we just got outworked in every aspect."
The Jazz survived an 0-for-10 night from three-point range (Kyle Korver and Ronnie Price each was 0-for-3) in large part because the Clippers went 9-for-20 from the foul line. Mike Taylor and Thomas went 1-for-4 to start the fourth quarter as the Jazz began to open a lead.
Korver and Mehmet Okur both missed a pair of free throws each in the second quarter - - we were debating whether Korver had ever done that since coming to Utah - - but the Jazz went a respectable 25-for-31 from the foul line for the night.
Price and Brevin Knight combined for only two turnovers in the game, following their one-turnover total Saturday against the Clippers. Credit also should go to Price for playing the two-for-one possession game perfectly at the end of the third quarter.
Price nailed a jumper and hit Andrei Kirilenko for a dunk. With Chris Kaman splitting two free throws for the Clippers, the Jazz were able to take advantage of a three-point swing and own a 65-60 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Ronnie Brewer endured a miserable 1-for-9 shooting night but still got his second taste of fourth quarter minutes in as many games. The Jazz put Brewer back in to start the fourth, although he was replaced by Korver after only 1:04.
Kaman was an absolute handful in the third quarter, scoring 11 points as he turned rebounds into baskets, ducked inside for dunks against the Jazz's zone defense and lowered his shoulder on strong drives to the rim.
Although he finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Kaman was scoreless in the fourth quarter. He also had five turnovers and went 1-for-4 from the foul line, blemishes on a night in which he made 9 of 12 shots overall.
The Jazz once again employed a zone defense in the second half against the Clippers, although with less success than Saturday's game. Baron Davis hit two three-pointers in the third quarter against the Jazz's zone.
Through three games, the Jazz are now giving up 82 points a game. That is not a misprint: The Jazz are giving up 17 points a game fewer than they did last season. It's impossible to keep up, but it bodes well for the Jazz going forward.
For the first time, the Jazz beat a full-strength team with Deron Williams out. Baron Davis and Marcus Camby both came off the bench for the Clippers. Camby looked a far cry from the player who nearly had a points/rebounds/blocks triple-double against the Jazz last season.
The Clippers announced a crowd of 12,712 for Monday's game, with entire sections in the upper deck at Staples Center empty. As I said to the person sitting next to me during the game: "I don't understand how Elton Brand could leave all this."
--Ross Siler
2:58 AM
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2 Comments:
"I don't understand how Elton Brand could leave all this."
LOL
Steve and Ross, keep up the good work dudes. Im a Jazz fan who happens to live in Los Angeles...born and raised. Anyways, Ive been following the blog as of late and I like the added information I get in addition to the articles I read in this paper and the DNews.
Again, keep up the good work.
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