SALT LAKE CITY – Blake Griffin had 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and the Clippers rolled over the Utah Jazz, 88-72, on Monday night.
The Clippers controlled the game for all but a short stretch of the first quarter while the Jazz had a horrific shooting night. DeAndre Jordan brought the energy early, then Austin Rivers got hot in the second quarter before Griffin had a dominant 12-point third quarter.
Jordan finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Rivers had 15 points.
Utah shot 33 percent from the field and 20.8 from 3-point range – both season lows. The Clippers led by 28 in the third quarter following a 19-4 run.
Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 14 rebounds for Utah.
The Clippers took a half-game lead over the Jazz for the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings.
The Clippers led 45-34 at halftime following 12-point first half from Rivers. The guard entered averaging 12.1 points per game.
Utah looked disjointed on the offensive end from start to finish. A 17-4 second-quarter spurt highlighted by Jordan’s alley-oop dunk and a pair of 3-pointers by Rivers pushed the lead to double digits.
TIP-INS
Clippers: The team has won nine straight in Salt Lake City dating to 2012. … The Clippers concluded a stretch with 10 of 11 games on the road.
Jazz: Rodney Hood missed his sixth consecutive game with a lateral collateral ligament sprain and right knee contusion. He was re-evaluated Saturday night and is expected to return after the All-Star break. … The Jazz have lost three straight for the third time this year.
STEALING SIGNS
Jazz coach Quin Snyder praised Jordan’s defensive intelligence, saying, “He won’t leave me alone on the bench. He steals all of our calls.”
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said the first-time All-Star does that every game.
“He knows most of the time what they are running,” Rivers said. “He signals it down to us. … It’s really important. (Kevin) Garnett did that. Guys like Rasheed (Wallace) were great at that as well.”
UP NEXT
Clippers: The Clippers play host to Paul Millsap and Atlanta on Wednesday night in their last game before the All-Star break.
Jazz: Utah plays host to Damian Lillard and Portland on Wednesday night before going on break.
More to come on this story.
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