The Utah Jazz will look to extend the series to a Game 7 against the Los Angeles Clippers when these two teams collide at STAPLE Center this Friday night. This is must-watch basketball, folks. Check out our preview of Jazz-Clippers Game 6 below.
The Jazz should get over their 119-111 home loss in Game 5 and just improve their plan for Friday’s contest. Given the importance of Game 6, especially for the Jazz, it would take the end of the world to stop Donovan Mitchell from playing despite a bum ankle. Mitchell didn’t shoot well in Game 5, making just 6 of 19 shots for 21 points, but he’ll just have to keep on launching those shots, as he remains the Jazz’s best option on offense. Then again, the others should help him out. Bojan Bogdanovic is coming off a 32-point performance in Game 5, so he’s another top option for Utah that’s averaging 17.7 triples per game on 40.6 percent shooting from behind the arc, so far in the playoffs. The Jazz are 6-0 against the Jazz in their last six games vs. a team with a winning record. The over is 7-1 in Utah’s last eight games as a favorite.
In Paul George the Clippers trust. With Kawhi Leonard done for the rest of the series with a knee injury, it’s up to George to lead LA. George did just that in Game 5, as he scored 37 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field with 16 rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes. The Clippers are playing small, with the absence of Serge Ibaka and the limited minutes they are giving to Ivica Zubac, who’s even been moved to a bench role. Instead, the Clippers are going small-ball with a starting lineup that has Nic Batum playing center. It’s been working for the Clippers, though, as evidenced by their pulling off three wins in a row to get the 3-2 series lead. So far in the second round, Los Angeles is averaging 117.8 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field.
The Clippers are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games when their opponent scored 100 points or more in their previous game. The under is 4-1 in the Clippers’ last five games as an underdog.
