Powell, Jackson score season highs as Clippers defeat Jazz

By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With Kawhi Leonard still working his way back and Paul George sidelined, the Los Angeles Clippers need the rest of the roster to pick up the slack.

Norman Powell and Reggie Jackson did their part Monday night with season-high point totals.

Powell came off the bench to score 30 and Jackson added 27 as the Clippers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Utah Jazz 121-114.

“I give the team credit. No matter who’s on the floor, we always feel like we have a chance to win,” coach Tyronn Lue said after the Clippers won their third straight. “It’s tough some nights and it’s not pretty every night, but we always seem to try to find a way to get it done. Different guys are stepping up every single night.

“I thought at the end of the game, Norman and Reggie really brought this home offensively.”

Leonard, who missed last season with a knee injury, had eight points and five assists in 23 minutes while George was sidelined after he strained his right hamstring during Saturday’s win over San Antonio.

The Jazz had a 93-86 lead late in the third quarter before the Clippers regained control with a 20-8 spurt over a six-minute span.

Powell scored nine points in the final 12 minutes and Jackson added eight. The Clippers forced six Jazz turnovers and held them to 7-of-20 shooting from the floor.

“We didn’t panic. I think our coaches called some timeouts in the right spots and let us figure things out as a group, go out there and compete,” said Jackson, who has three straight games with at least 20 points.

Ivica Zubac had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers, who have won four of their last five.

Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 26 points and Lauri Markkanen had 25 points and 10 rebounds. The Jazz have dropped four of their last six after starting the season 10-3.

“That’s a frustrating game. We played very well in stretches and we were extremely poor in some stretches. That cost us the game,” Utah coach Will Hardy said.

The Clippers had a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Powell’s 3-pointer extended the advantage to 55-38 with 5:47 remaining in the first half before the Jazz started to make their comeback. Utah scored eight straight points before going into halftime down 66-56.

Los Angeles was up 80-70 midway through the third quarter before Utah went on a 23-6 run that included seven points from Markkanen and six by Talen Horton-Tucker.

“We did a great job of coming out of the locker room in the third quarter and giving us a chance to win the game,” Markkanen said. “We’re gonna watch film of that fourth quarter and what we can do better. I think there’s some mistakes that we can easily correct.”

TIP-INS

Jazz: Kelly Olynyk had 19 points and Horton-Tucker scored 14 off the bench. … Jarred Vanderbilt grabbed 10 rebounds. … Collin Sexton scored 10 points. Sexton got his second start of the season with Mike Conley sidelined because of a left knee strain.

Clippers: John Wall scored seven of his 13 points in the first quarter, including a half-court shot to end the period. … Los Angeles had a season-high 12 offensive rebounds.

UP NEXT

Jazz: Return home to face Detroit on Wednesday.

Clippers: Play at Golden State on Wednesday.

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