Mitchell Gets 23, Jazz End Clippers' Streak With 125-113 Win
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points and helped the Utah Jazz close out a 125-113 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Despite missing starting guard Rodney Hood because of a leg injury, Utah set season bests for points in the first quarter (39) and first half (76). It never trailed while ending the Clippers' six-game winning streak.
The Jazz drove to the basket at will in the first half, shooting 62.5 percent en route to a 76-59 halftime lead.
Joe Ingles got aggressive and finished with a career-high 21 points, reaching the 20-point mark for just the third time in his career. Mitchell had his 21st game of 20-plus points, most among rookies, and also had seven assists and four rebounds. Derrick Favors had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Lou Williams paced the Clippers with 31 points, 10 steals and seven assists, and he helped cut the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter. Blake Griffin added 25 points and eight rebounds.
TIP-INS
Clippers: DeAndre Jordan missed his fourth straight game with a left ankle sprain. ... LA allowed 50 points in the paint.
Jazz: Rudy Gobert played 28 minutes as he works his way back from a sprained knee. He wasn't as effective as his 23-point, 14-block effort Friday, but was able to play the second night of a back-to-back. He finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
HOOD-LESS
Hood did not play after suffering a lower left leg contusion Friday night. He's averaged a career-high 16.7 points.
"I think it's collective," coach Quin Snyder said about replacing his offense. "It's more about us being efficient offensively. We've got a little bit of a Chinese water torture as far as how we need to score. Everybody's got to do a little bit.
"Our guys are great about being unselfish and not caring who gets shots. Different guys are going to get shots. The way we've been balanced, we've had a lot of guys lead us in scoring and have big nights. That's what we need."
QUOTABLE
"I've had the most fun that I've had in years coaching a group," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said before the game. "It does remind me a lot of my first year in Orlando, we had that crazy group of guys. It's just a fun group to coach. They're extremely coachable. They want to do right. They get along and play together and sometimes you're fortunate enough to win games."
UP NEXT
Clippers: Hosts Minnesota on Monday night.
Jazz: Travels to face Atlanta on Monday night.
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