The Clippers used a dominant first half, powered by forward Marcus Morris Sr., to win Game 4 in the best of seven series against the Jazz.
The Los Angeles Clippers certainly did their best to turn Flag Day into White Flag Day with a dominating performance in the first half of Game 4 of their playoff series against the Jazz Monday night.
It took just over two minutes for LA to put Utah into a 10-2 hole, and the Clippers only got better over the next 22 minutes. LA finished the first quarter with a 30-13 advantage and then extended the lead to as many as 29 points in the second quarter.
While the Jazz never surrendered despite the huge deficit — the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed battled back to within 10 points with just over two minutes remaining — Los Angeles was still able to even the series at 2-2 with a 118-104 victory at the Staples Center.
“I thought it was our defense,” LA head coach Tyronn Lue replied when asked what sparked the Clippers’ hot start. “They set the tone defensively, only giving up 13 points in the first quarter. We were able to get out in transition, but I thought our physicality and our attention to detail were pretty good tonight. … Overall, I thought we were really locked in.”
In the first quarter, the Jazz totaled just six field goals while going 1 of 7 from 3-point range and committing six turnovers. Conversely, the Clippers were a so-so 9 of 22 from the field, but a stellar 6 of 12 from beyond the arc.
Without question, the biggest difference for LA early on was the offensive resurgence of forward Marcus Morris Sr., who knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Prior to Monday night’s game, Morris was a combined 11 of 30 from the field in the first three games of the series, including a woeful 1 of 16 from 3-point range, with just 25 total points.
“His brother was here. We’re going to take him to Utah, too,” Lue noted with a laugh, acknowledging that Morris’s twin brother, Markieff, a forward for the Lakers, was in the crowd.
“No, I just think he was just taking his shots and taking them with confidence,” Lue said of Morris’s bounce back performance. “We know he can make ‘em. We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. … He was 5 of 5 in the first half, which was just great. It helped us get off to a good start.”
Morris ended up scoring 22 of his 24 points in the first half, leaving him as the Clipper beside superstars Kawhi Leonard (31 points) and Paul George (31 points) to score in double figures.
“It’s basketball, man. You’re going to get hot, and you’re going to miss some shots,” Morris said. “It’s just about staying level and not getting too down on yourself and just continuing to go forward.”
George and Leonard, who combined for 65 points in LA’s 132-106 crushing of the Jazz in Game 3, did it all again.
Despite the Clippers’ significant advantage, George logged more than 40 minutes and said he wished he been allowed to go a full 48 minutes. The former Fresno State start went 9 of 20 from the floor and added four 3-pointers, nine rebounds and four assists.
As for Leonard, he delivered the game’s most electrifying moment when he flew into the lane and threw down a dunk over Jazz forward Derrick Favors with 1:24 left in the first half.
“They put a center on him a couple of times in the middle of the zone, and I told him to attack and be aggressive,” Lue said. “And he got kind of mad, and then the next play he came out, drove the lane and dunked the ball over Favors.”
A two-time NBA Finals MVP, Leonard wasn’t on the court for the Clippers in the game’s final few moments. While he was bringing the ball up the floor with just under six minutes remaining, Leonard was bumped in the left shoulder by Utah’s Joe Ingles and appeared to tweak his right knee.
Shortly after missing the subsequent free throw, Leonard went to the Clippers’ bench and remained there as the Jazz made their final comeback attempt.
“I think so,” Lue said when asked about Leonard’s status. “We’ll know more after the game, but yeah, I think everybody’s pretty good.”
The Clippers, who were also down 0-2 at the start of their first-round series against the Mavericks, are clearly confident that they’ve figured out some things as they head back to Salt Lake City for Game 5 after two impressive outings on their home floor.
“Game 5’s are pivotal, and so that’s the way we’re looking at this,” George said. “We know it’s going to be even more hostile, but we’ve got to drown out the noise and go there for one mission. And that one mission is to not come back there. And so that’s the mindset. We’ve got to go and try to get Game 5.”
Despite Lue’s suggestion that Markieff Morris also make the trip to Salt Lake City as sort of a good-luck charm for his brother, Marcus Morris quickly shot down the idea when asked about it after Mondays game.
“Uhhh … no. He won’t be coming to Utah. I don’t know anybody that wants to go to Utah.”
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3iV78Ov
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