Jazz beat Clippers 110-109, LA earns home-court advantage for 1st round and locks in 4th seed
LOS ANGELES (AP) Reserve Kenneth Lofton Jr. scored a season-high 27 points and the Utah Jazz beat the Clippers 110-109 on Friday night after playoff-bound Los Angeles clinched the fourth seed in the West.
Bones Hyland led the Clippers with 20 points off the bench and Amir Coffey added 16. Dallas' loss to Detroit ensured the Clippers' seeding and put the Mavericks in fifth before the Clippers tipped off. The Mavs and Clippers will meet in the first round for the third time in five years.
“Getting the fourth seed in a tough conference - you got four teams that won 50 games - it means a lot to have the homecourt advantage in the first round,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Winning our (Pacific) division for the first time in 10 years says a lot about just staying with it even through tough times.”
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed his seventh straight game with right knee inflammation and is not expected back until the playoffs start next weekend.
“Hopefully, he will be playing,” Lue said. “That is what we want to see.”
The Clippers beat Denver, Utah, Cleveland and Phoenix shortly after Leonard went down.
“To win four games in a row against some good teams with Kawhi being out just shows what we've done to progress and get better,” Lue said, “because before it was hard to win without him on the floor.”
Already eliminated, the Jazz managed to win their second straight game for the first time since Feb. 4-6. They snapped a 12-game skid Thursday with a win over Houston, another team that's already been eliminated.
“Proud of the guys. It's hard to win back-to-back nights,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We've struggled on the road this season.”
Paul George, who played just eight minutes, and Ivica Zubac added 10 points each for the Clippers, who routed the Jazz by 29 points a week ago.
Hyland gave the Clippers a 105-104 lead on a drive in the fourth. The Jazz answered with six in a row to go up 110-105. Los Angeles got within a point with 31 seconds to go on Brandon Boston Jr.'s basket. But Xavier Moon missed a potential winning 3-pointer at the final buzzer.
The Clippers led by 13 in the first half. The Jazz scored the first nine points of the third to lead 69-60 and went into the fourth ahead 86-85.
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Golden State on Sunday to end the regular season.
Clippers: Host Houston on Sunday to end the regular season.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Omer Yurtseven vs. Ivica Zubac (Taylor Hendricks gains possession) | ||
| 11:42 |  | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point cutting layup (Taylor Hendricks assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:29 | | +2 | Ivica Zubac makes two point alley-oop dunk (James Harden assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:14 | | Luka Samanic misses two point driving layup | ||
| 11:14 | | Clippers defensive rebound | ||
| 11:05 | | +3 | Paul George makes three point pullup jump shot (James Harden assists) | 2-5 |
| 10:55 | | Keyonte George turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 10:47 | | +3 | Terance Mann makes three point jump shot (James Harden assists) | 2-8 |
| 10:29 | | Ivica Zubac technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 10:29 | | Keyonte George misses technical free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 10:29 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | +2 | Keyonte George makes two point driving floating jump shot | 4-8 |
| 9:54 | | James Harden misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:53 | | Luka Samanic defensive rebound | ||
| 9:44 | | Luka Samanic turnover (lost ball) (P.J. Tucker steals) | ||
| 9:38 | | Paul George misses two point running layup | ||
| 9:34 | | Paul George offensive rebound | ||
| 9:32 | | +3 | Paul George makes three point jump shot | 4-11 |
| 9:04 | | Jazz turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 8:49 | | Ivica Zubac misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Omer Yurtseven defensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | Omer Yurtseven misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 8:34 | | P.J. Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 8:26 | | +2 | James Harden makes two point driving layup | 4-13 |
| 8:26 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:06 | | Luka Samanic turnover (lost ball) (Paul George steals) | ||
| 8:02 | | Paul George misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:01 | | Terance Mann offensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | +2 | Terance Mann makes two point tip dunk | 4-15 |
| 7:37 | | Taylor Hendricks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:36 | | Luka Samanic offensive rebound | ||
| 7:36 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point putback layup | 6-15 |
| 7:36 | | Terance Mann shooting foul (Luka Samanic draws the foul) | ||
| 7:36 | | +1 | Luka Samanic makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 7-15 |
| 7:21 | | +2 | Ivica Zubac makes two point alley-oop dunk (James Harden assists) | 7-17 |
| 7:07 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point driving floating jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 9-17 |
| 6:58 | | James Harden turnover (bad pass) (Luka Samanic steals) | ||
| 6:54 | | Paul George blocks Luka Samanic's two point running layup | ||
| 6:54 | | Clippers defensive rebound | ||
| 6:36 | | Darius Bazley shooting foul (Paul George draws the foul) | ||
| 6:36 | | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 9-18 |
| 6:36 | | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-19 |
| 6:20 | | +3 | Darius Bazley makes three point jump shot (Kenneth Lofton Jr. assists) | 12-19 |
| 5:53 | | Russell Westbrook misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 5:50 | | P.J. Tucker offensive rebound | ||
| 5:45 | | +2 | Ivica Zubac makes two point layup (Paul George assists) | 12-21 |
| 5:30 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point driving floating jump shot | 14-21 |
| 5:11 | | +2 | Paul George makes two point driving layup | 14-23 |
| 4:59 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:57 | | P.J. Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 4:50 | | +2 | Ivica Zubac makes two point turnaround hook shot (James Harden assists) | 14-25 |
| 4:29 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:24 | | P.J. Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 4:13 | | Paul George turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 3:56 | | +2 | Jason Preston makes two point pullup jump shot | 16-25 |
| 3:36 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. shooting foul (James Harden draws the foul) | ||
| 3:36 | | +1 | James Harden makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 16-26 |
| 3:36 | | +1 | James Harden makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 16-27 |
| 3:36 | | James Harden misses regular free throw 3 of 3 | ||
| 3:33 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 3:19 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point driving layup (Brice Sensabaugh assists) | 18-27 |
| 3:07 | | +2 | Russell Westbrook makes two point driving layup | 18-29 |
| 2:57 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 20-29 |
| 2:44 | | James Harden misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:41 | | Ivica Zubac offensive rebound | ||
| 2:38 | | Norman Powell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:35 | | Brice Sensabaugh defensive rebound | ||
| 2:25 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 2:20 | | Amir Coffey defensive rebound | ||
| 2:13 | | James Harden misses two point driving layup | ||
| 2:10 | | Ivica Zubac offensive rebound | ||
| 2:09 | | +2 | Ivica Zubac makes two point hook shot | 20-31 |
| 2:02 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point layup (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 22-31 |
| 2:02 | | Russell Westbrook shooting foul (Kenneth Lofton Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 2:02 | | Clippers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:02 | | +1 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 23-31 |
| 1:49 | | Russell Westbrook turnover (bad pass) (Darius Bazley steals) | ||
| 1:44 | | Ivica Zubac blocks Brice Sensabaugh's three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:41 | | Darius Bazley offensive rebound | ||
| 1:41 | | Darius Bazley turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:32 | | +2 | Russell Westbrook makes two point pullup jump shot | 23-33 |
| 1:19 | | Darius Bazley misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:12 | | Amir Coffey defensive rebound | ||
| 1:06 | | +2 | Norman Powell makes two point driving reverse layup (Bones Hyland assists) | 23-35 |
| 0:55 | | +2 | Darius Bazley makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Jason Preston assists) | 25-35 |
| 0:43 | | +3 | Amir Coffey makes three point jump shot (Norman Powell assists) | 25-38 |
| 0:35 | | Jason Preston misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:33 | | Mason Plumlee defensive rebound | ||
| 0:29 | | Jason Preston blocks Bones Hyland's two point running layup | ||
| 0:29 | | Clippers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:28 | | Norman Powell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:24 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 0:05 | | Brice Sensabaugh misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:01 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 0:01 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point tip layup | 27-38 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:50 | | Jason Preston shooting foul (Russell Westbrook draws the foul) | ||
| 11:50 | | Russell Westbrook misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 11:50 | | Clippers offensive rebound | ||
| 11:50 | | Russell Westbrook misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 11:47 | | Jason Preston defensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Russell Westbrook shooting foul (Kenneth Lofton Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 11:34 | | +1 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-38 |
| 11:34 | | +1 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-38 |
| 11:13 | | +2 | Amir Coffey makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Mason Plumlee assists) | 29-40 |
| 10:57 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:52 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 10:52 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point tip layup | 31-40 |
| 10:40 | | Russell Westbrook misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:37 | | Darius Bazley defensive rebound | ||
| 10:24 | | +3 | Johnny Juzang makes three point jump shot (Kenneth Lofton Jr. assists) | 34-40 |
| 10:02 | | +3 | Bones Hyland makes three point stepback jump shot | 34-43 |
| 9:54 | | +2 | Darius Bazley makes two point driving dunk (Kenneth Lofton Jr. assists) | 36-43 |
| 9:54 | | Bones Hyland shooting foul (Darius Bazley draws the foul) | ||
| 9:54 | | +1 | Darius Bazley makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 37-43 |
| 9:39 | | Mason Plumlee turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:27 | | Amir Coffey shooting foul (Kenneth Lofton Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 9:27 | | +1 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-43 |
| 9:27 | | +1 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-43 |
| 9:14 | | Bones Hyland misses three point stepback bank jump shot | ||
| 9:11 | | Jason Preston defensive rebound | ||
| 8:55 | | Amir Coffey blocks Jason Preston's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:52 | | Darius Bazley offensive rebound | ||
| 8:50 | | Johnny Juzang misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:48 | | Norman Powell defensive rebound | ||
| 8:44 | | Norman Powell misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:39 | | Darius Bazley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point running dunk (Darius Bazley assists) | 41-43 |
| 8:36 | | Daniel Theis shooting foul (Kenneth Lofton Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 8:36 | | +1 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 42-43 |
| 8:19 | | +2 | Norman Powell makes two point driving floating jump shot | 42-45 |
| 8:02 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point jump shot | 44-45 |
| 7:48 | | +2 | Bones Hyland makes two point driving layup | 44-47 |
| 7:42 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:38 | | Jason Preston offensive rebound | ||
| 7:35 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:33 | | Daniel Theis defensive rebound | ||
| 7:26 | | Amir Coffey misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:24 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:10 | | +2 | Kenneth Lofton Jr. makes two point jump shot (Johnny Juzang assists) | 46-47 |
| 7:09 | | Clippers 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:57 | | Norman Powell misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:57 | | Clippers offensive rebound | ||
| 6:57 | | Johnny Juzang personal foul (Loose ball) (Daniel Theis draws the foul) | ||
| 6:52 | | P.J. Tucker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:47 | | Keyonte George defensive rebound | ||
| 6:41 | | Keyonte George misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:38 | | Daniel Theis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | Daniel Theis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:23 | | Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound | ||
| 6:18 | | +2 | Taylor Hendricks makes two point pullup jump shot | 48-47 |
| 6:03 | | Taylor Hendricks shooting foul (Bones Hyland draws the foul) | ||
| 6:03 | | Bones Hyland misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:03 | | Clippers offensive rebound | ||
| 6:03 | | +1 | Bones Hyland makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-48 |
| 5:40 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:39 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 5:39 | | Jazz turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 5:24 | | Daniel Theis turnover (traveling) | ||
| 5:14 | | +3 | Johnny Juzang makes three point jump shot (Kenneth Lofton Jr. assists) | 51-48 |
| 4:58 | | Bones Hyland turnover (bad pass) (Johnny Juzang steals) | ||
| 4:54 | | Johnny Juzang misses two point running layup | ||
| 4:49 | | Luka Samanic offensive rebound | ||
| 4:49 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point putback layup | 53-48 |
| 4:32 | | Bones Hyland misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:32 | | P.J. Tucker offensive rebound | ||
| 4:32 | | Johnny Juzang personal foul (Norman Powell draws the foul) | ||
| 4:22 | | Kenneth Lofton Jr. shooting foul (Daniel Theis draws the foul) | ||
| 4:22 | | +1 | Daniel Theis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 53-49 |
| 4:22 | | +1 | Daniel Theis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 53-50 |
| 4:14 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:01 |