Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert speaks with reporters following NBA basketball practice Thursday, April 27, 2017, in Salt Lake City.
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But a playoff series against the Jazz will provide a better tune-up for a Golden State team that many believe are on a collision course with the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
Gobert has been a force in the middle for the Jazz all season and since the Frenchman’s return to the lineup, Utah has won the rebound battle against Los Angeles and outscored the Clippers in the paint.
“This series deserves a Game 7”, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said afterward. “We have to treat this one as a must-win”, Hayward told reporters. “But it is (the playoffs) and we don’t have a lot of choices”.
“I think it’s been important for us, with Steve going down, giving him less to think about it and just worry about his treatment”. Their leadership has proved invaluable in closing out several tight games. If not, they will face the Clippers in a Game 7. “I don’t think we were nervous, we just couldn’t find it tonight”. He scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, ensuring that Washington picked up the first road victory by either team in the series. Even when the Jazz almost erased a 10-point deficit in the final 90 seconds of the game, they found themselves – young or seasoned – panicking into rushed shots. In the end, he finished with nine points on 3-9 shooting, three turnovers, and a -18 plus-minus. If the Clippers want to avoid a fourth loss to the Jazz, stopping Johnson and the other veteran playmakers will be absolutely critical Friday.
Redick’s own hunt for a new contract is a big enough issue, but with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul both likely to exercise early termination options on their deals, the Clippers could be reshaped dramatically by the start of next season.
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The Clippers missed Rivers when he was out with injury during the first four games of this series. Redick. Paul jumped about as high as he could have to try and control a missed Hayward jumper, but Joe Ingles (of course) got a crucial tap to Hayward for a three that made it a one possession game at 96-93. “But we’ll wait for our training staff to clear them, after they see how they feel today and (Saturday)”. The Jazz got some unanswered buckets but Paul came back to keep the Clippers close, either directly or by getting his teammates wide open looks. The Los Angeles Clippers are averaging 98.8 points on 47.9 percent shooting and allowing 98 points on 47.2 percent shooting. The Los Angeles Clippers have won six of their last eight home games. The Jazz lead the best-of-seven games series 3-2. Chris Paul led all scorers at half, with 15, but failed to push towards Los Angeles’ normal pace. He is a big part of the Jazz winning Games 4 and 5. I’m confident that Quin Snyder will help his team maintain a laser focus and that they’ll be able to heed the words in his message that tomorrow’s game will be their Game 7.
