Rudy Gobert returned to the starting lineup, Gordon Hayward exited with food poisoning, and Joe Johnson had his second big game of the series as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-98 to even the series 2-2. Gobert coming back after severe doubt he would come back at all changes the tides of the series.
STIFLE TOWER!
Rudy Gobert back in the paint, defending the rim!#TakeNotepic.twitter.com/4Kajjs13Y2
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) April 24, 2017
With Hayward only playing nine minutes tonight while dealing with a bout of food poisoning, the ageless wonder Johnson stepped up big time. He contributed 28 points off the bench on 12-17 shooting and provided a spark of scoring when Utah needed it most. Johnson shocked the Clippers in Game 1 with a buzzer-beating floater. Gobert, returning after dangerously banging knees in Game 1, put up 15 points and 13 rebounds to go along with two blocks. Joe Ingles had a big three-pointer with under a minute left in the game that sealed the victory for Utah.
JO3 INGL3S!??#LACatUTA pic.twitter.com/zR6i8UuwUP
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 24, 2017
The Clippers, who won the previous two games, were playing without star Blake Griffin. Griffin recently was declared out for the season with a serious toe injury. The injury bug is something Los Angeles has struggled with for what seems like the entire Chris Paul-Blake Griffin era. Speaking of Paul, he was his usual dominant self finishing with 28 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds. DeAndre Jordan added another double-double, though he was working harder with Gobert back in the lineup to oppose him. Jamal Crawford was a nice boost of the bench scoring 25 points, but the other bench pieces combined to score 12.
The Clippers were out-rebounded 35-25, a stat they dominated in every game of the series. The paint is going to be an area of contention for the rest of the series, especially with Gobert back and seemingly healthy. Utah as a team shot the ball very well too, despite not having Hayward for the majority of the game (54% overall, 45% from 3P). The Jazz do not have a prolific offense, but they do have a very efficient one.
For Los Angeles, things do not get easier. It was bad enough that Griffin went down for the rest of postseason but Utah getting Gobert back makes things even tougher. If the Clippers want to get out of the first round it will take a total team effort on both sides of the ball and a herculean effort from Chris Paul. A return to the raucous home crowd should definitely provide a boost.
The pivotal Game 5 will be Tuesday April 25th at the Staples Center.
