Jazz On Song

OK so the Los Angeles Clippers have been going through quite a good run... four straight victories in fact; such that they broke a mediocre 12-12 record to a rather more Clipper-like 16-12; but lest's face it... they haven't been facing the toughest teams in this stretch. Yes; they did meet the league-leading Phoenix Suns in their last encounter; and that went pretty well; as the Suns - without stars Devin Booker & DeAndre Ayton - went down in a surprisingly tame defeat.

But this night was different. The Clippers were facing another league-leading team; the much-vaunted Utah Jazz; with their stellar home record; and a team that had won their last 7 straight. And right from the get-go; you sensed this would be a tough evening for Tyronn Lue's men, Donovan Mitchell; so often the Jazz go-to guy; did it again in this one; coming up big especially in the second half to propel his Jazz to a statement 124-103 win against fellow Western Conference title contenders.

He was supported in large part by a stellar supporting case; with forward Bojan Bogdanovic clinical from three-point land; Jordan Clarkson showing off his nifty handles; and Rudy Gobert his usual excellence in the center. For the Clippers; they were once again without Paul George Nicolas Batum and Kawhi Leonard; and this seemed like a straw too far. Even though Eric Bledsoe played one of the games of his life with 21 points; this was one bridge too far for the Clippers.