Clippers stumble against Jazz in 111-105 loss

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers 111-105 on Wednesday night.

Derrick Favors and Ricky Rubio added 13 points apiece for the Jazz. Utah won its fourth straight home game by overcoming early shooting struggles.

Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari scored 18 points each to lead the Clippers, and Montrezl Harrell added 16. Utah clinched the season series and earned a playoff tiebreaker over the Clippers.

After trading the lead for much of the second half, Utah pulled ahead for good with a 10-2 run late in the fourth quarter. Joe Ingles bookended the roll with two baskets to give the Jazz a 103-96 lead with 2:53 remaining.

Los Angeles cut it to 109-105 on two free throws from Gallinari with 39.4 seconds left. Williams missed a 3-pointer that would have cut it to one, and Mitchell hit two free throws to secure the win.

The Clippers used an 18-4 run to charge out to a 29-12 lead late in the first quarter. Gallinari sparked the burst with back-to-back baskets and capped it with a three-point play. He totaled 11 points in the quarter.

Utah rallied with a 12-0 run. Jae Crowder hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to single digits. Favors punctuated the run with an uncontested dunk that cut the Clippers’ lead to 29-24.

Los Angeles regained a double-digit lead in the second quarter, going up 43-32 on a jumper from JaMychal Green, before the Jazz made another charge to erase the deficit. Utah made it 48-45 on back-to-back baskets from Mitchell and Gobert, but the Jazz couldn’t draw any closer before halftime.

Utah finally charged in front after Ingles buried a long jumper to cap off a third-quarter opening 11-2 run and put the Jazz up 60-58.

TIP-INS

Clippers: The Clippers totaled 46 points off the bench. Los Angeles entered the game leading the NBA in bench scoring at 53.2 points per game. … Gallinari made 12 free throws, matching his season high. He finished 12 of 13 from the line. … Patrick Beverley finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.

Jazz: Gobert eclipsed 4,000 career rebounds with the Jazz after collecting 13 boards. He now has 4,009 rebounds — fifth most in franchise history. … Rubio exited late in the third quarter with left hamstring tightness. … Mitchell scored at least 30 points for the 11th time this season.

UP NEXT

Clippers visit the Kings on Friday.

Jazz visit the Nuggets on Thursday.