SALT LAKE CITY – The Clippers lost to the Jazz, 104-78, Monday night in Utah in their fifth preseason game.
Here are five takeaways from the matchup:
1) Shorthanded – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Alan Anderson all got the night off. With most of the starting lineup resting, Austin Rivers, Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights started alongside J.J. Redick and Luc Mbah a Moute. Rivers had his best half of the preseason in the first half, going 4-for-7 with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in the first half before finishing 6-for-12 with a team-high 15 points, as well as five rebounds and four assists. Bass finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Speights filled up multiple categories with seven points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks and an assist.
2) Missing inside – The Clippers clearly missed what Paul and Jordan brought as playmakers, finishing with just 15 assists. But they may have missed Jordan’s size and presence defensively more than anything, as Utah center Rudy Gobert finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes, and the Jazz scored 56 points in the paint. With the Clippers giving up size inside and not finding any success from long range, it was tough to keep up.
3) Spreading the wealth – Head coach Doc Rivers said before the game he has an idea what combinations of players he’ll want to use in the regular season, but going shorthanded meant trying new things, even using some groupings that never played together in practice before. The five starters each played at least 20 minutes, but every player off the bench scored at least four points and played at least 13 minutes. Rookie Diamond Stone got his longest look late, finishing with six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes.
4) Struggles from deep – None of the Clippers’ starters hit a 3-pointer in the loss, combining to go 0-for-11 from deep. Jamal Crawford and Paul Pierce were the only two Clippers to hit from deep, combining to go 3-for-6, while the rest of the Clippers combined to go 0-for-11 behind the arc, making a comeback attempt tough after falling behind by double digits early. After a career-best season from 3-point range last year, J.J. Redick’s still looking to find his long-range shot this preseason, going scoreless from behind the arc Monday.
5) Right back at it – The Clippers play their sixth and final preseason game Tuesday in Sacramento on the second game of a back-to-back. Head coach Doc Rivers said he expects the Clippers’ Big Three to return for that matchup. The Clippers then get eight days off before opening the season Oct. 27 in Portland.
