Clippers guard Luke Kennard throws a pass around Utah Jazz forward Juancho Hernangomez during the second half on Friday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) shoots over Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) drives around Clippers forward Robert Covington during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. looks to pass as Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley defends during the first quarter on Friday night in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale (23) drives the ball against Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. (8) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers center Ivica Zubac dives for the ball during the second quarter of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) go to the floor for the ball during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers coach Ty Lue shouts instructions during the second quarter of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) drives against Clippers forward Robert Covington (23) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (6) drives the ball against Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder gives instructions to the team during the second quarter against the Clippers in an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) is fouled by Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) while driving to the basket during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers forward Semi Ojeleye (37) drives the ball past Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers forward Semi Ojeleye (37) dunks against Utah Jazz guard Jared Butler, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers guard Terance Mann, right, drives past Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley, front, is pressured by Clippers guard Terance Mann during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder and guard Mike Conley confer during a stoppage in play in the team’s game against the Clippers on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers forward Robert Covington (23) lays the ball up during the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz in an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and Utah Jazz forward Juancho Hernangomez (41) watch the ball get away during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers forward Semi Ojeleye (37) shoots over Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale (23) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) drives against Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (11) during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) reacts to a play during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz oin Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) shoots a 3-pointer during the first half against the Clippers in an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers forward Robert Covington (23) shoots against Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers guard Terance Mann (14) reacts to a play during the fourth quarter of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. Mann was called for a technical foul. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. warms up for the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Friday, March 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
The Utah Jazz’s concern before tipoff against the Clippers on Friday night was how they would handle the absences of Donovan Mitchell (25.7 points per game) and Bojan Bogdanovic (18.1), both sidelined with calf strains.
“There’s a lot of unfamiliar territory there,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, via Zoom, noting that his available players would “need to communicate with each other and figure it out.”
One would have expected the Clippers to have figured out how to operate successfully without their top scorers: After all, they’ve been playing all season without Kawhi Leonard (ACL), all but 26 games without fellow All-Star Paul George (elbow) and now 16 games without Norman Powell since his toe was broken three games after arriving in a trade.
But the short-handed Jazz proved to be just fine.
It was the Clippers who appeared overwhelmed and out of sorts as they got pummeled, 121-92, before a sellout crowd of 18,306 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
“They polished us,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “It’s one of those games, we just didn’t have it. Didn’t have a lot of pop. Them being down their two top scorers, we let our guard down.”
Center Ivica Zubac was more blunt: “We gotta be better. We can’t come out like that. It’s just embarrassing.”
The loss – the Clippers’ third in a row and sixth in their past eight games – dropped them to 36-37, below .500 for the first time since Feb. 17, when a win against the Houston Rockets pulled them to 30-31. It was also the Clippers’ eighth consecutive regular-season loss in Salt Lake City, a streak that dates to Feb. 13, 2017.
This season, the Clippers have nine regular-season games remaining before the play-in tournament begins April 12.
On Friday, there were bad omens early for the Clippers, who had to call a timeout fewer than two minutes into the game, the Jazz (44-26 – and 26-11 at home) having hit all four of their shots to take a 10-2 lead. Also, Marcus Morris Sr. missed a free throw, snapping his streak of 43 consecutive makes from the stripe.
After that, the Clippers struggled to slow the Jazz, who drove and kicked at will, speeding away with a 41-14 second quarter – despite the fact that they also were missing Hassan Whiteside (non-COVID illness), Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain), Trent Forrest (right wrist sprain) and Danuel House (left knee bone bruise).
And the Clippers struggled just as mightily to score themselves, shooting just 36% (31 for 86).
The Clippers were just 29.7% (19 for 64) through three quarters, when the Jazz’s 37-point halftime lead remained intact entering the final 12 minutes of action.
Sure, Coach Tyronn Lue’s team has four 20-plus point comebacks this season – including one from 35 points down, one shy of the NBA record established by Utah in 1996.
But this time, there would be no monumental rally. The Clippers didn’t even have a player in score double figures until the 10:35 mark of the fourth quarter, when Robert Covington connected on a pull-up jumper to bring his tally to 11 points – with the Clippers trailing 98-60.
Covington finished with 18 points, Terance Mann had 14, Luke Kennard 13 and Semi Ojeleye 13 – all off the bench. On his 25th birthday, Zubac gave his team nine points and six rebounds in 21 minutes.
“We all pretty much know what went wrong and what we gotta do,” said Zubac, the longest-tenured Clipper and sixth-year pro who said there was consensus in the locker room after the game. “That was embarrassing from us and we know what we gotta do better.”
Utah’s lead grew to as large as 41 points in the fourth quarter, but in the end, the Clippers narrowed the large margin to 29, outscoring their hosts 34-26 in the final frame.
“The main thing that hurt us,” Covington said, was Utah’s prolific production around the hoop: The Jazz outscored the Clippers 56-32 in the paint.
Without their usual offensive threats, the Jazz had five players score in double figures, led by Jared Butler (21 points) and Jordan Clarkson (20).
Rudy Gobert added 19 points – and the three-time All-Star center also grabbed 16 rebounds, exceeding his league-leading average of 14.8 in three quarters of work, half of those boards coming on the offensive end and helping the Jazz to a 24-10 advantage in second-chance points.
The Clippers’ next game is not until Tuesday in Denver, so they planned to travel back to L.A., where they expected to practice at least once.
