Jazz rout Clippers for 9th straight win
FILE — Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles of the Utah Jazz celebrate after their win over the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 7, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lauren Bacho/Getty Images/AFP
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert led the way as the Utah Jazz produced a devastating second-half scoring display to rout a depleted Los Angeles Clippers 114-96 at the Staples Center.
Mitchell and Gobert combined for 47 points to give Utah a ninth straight victory and extend the team’s lead to 24-5 at the top of the Western Conference.
2⃣3⃣ AND 2⃣0⃣ for Rudy powers the Jazz to 2⃣0⃣-1⃣ in their last 2⃣1⃣!@utahjazz x @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/XuEuCre8Mj
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2021
The Clippers, missing the injured Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, had scraped their way into a 51-46 lead at half-time, with 14 points from Lou Williams helping set up a five-point cushion.
But the Clippers’ hopes were snuffed out in a one-sided second half as Utah cut loose, outscoring the home team 68-45 in the third and fourth quarters.
Mitchell finished with 24 points while Gobert had 23. Jordan Clarkson delivered another useful cameo off the bench with 18 points including four three-pointers.