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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell drives the ball between Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, and guard Terance Mann, rear, during the second half of Friday’s game at Staples Center. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, left, releases a shot next to Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, left, holds on to the ball while Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, right, shoots next to Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, loses the ball while going up for a dunk against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The play resulted in an offensive foul. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, center, loses the ball while going up for a dunk against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The play resulted in an offensive foul against Leonard. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, blocks a shot by Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, is defended by Jazz forward Royce O’Neale during the first half of Friday’s game at Staples Center. Leonard scored 29 points in a 116-112 victory that snapped the Jazz’s nine-game winning streak. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, right, loses the ball while driving to the basket as Los Angeles Clippers center Serge Ibaka defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams, front, shoots while Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams (23) shoots while Utah Jazz center Derrick Favors defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, fouls Utah Jazz center Derrick Favors on a shot attempt during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell passes the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George, left, celebrates with Marcus Morris Sr. after making a shot during the first half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell shoots next to Los Angeles Clippers guard Reggie Jackson, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game as Lou Williams watches, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, attempts to drive the ball to the basket while pressured by Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue yells from the sidelines during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, jumps up for a shot while Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, left, shoots while pressured by Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell drives the ball between Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, and guard Terance Mann, rear, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, right, and Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert reach for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, right, drives to the basket while Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, goes up for a dunk while Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, goes up for a dunk while Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, left, drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, right, and Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac reach for a rebound during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, right, holds onto the ball while Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, shoots the ball while Utah Jazz center Derrick Favors defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George, right, shoots while Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, right, goes up for a shot while Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. shoots a three-point shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus Morris Sr. reacts after making a three-point shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazzin Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley shoots a 3-point basket during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. The Clippers won 116-112. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, right, celebrates with forward Kawhi Leonard during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
LOS ANGELES — The stars aligned for the Clippers on Friday night.
The hosts welcomed stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard back from injuries and got starting forward Nicolas Batum back as well for their nationally televised Western Conference showdown against the Utah Jazz, who had veteran point guard Mike Conley back in their lineup.
With all those formidable fellas back on the floor, Friday’s game promised to be different than Wednesday’s, when the undermanned Clippers faded in the second half as the Jazz extended their long winning streak.
The difference? This time, the Clippers were winners, 116-112.
“We will play different,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue promised before tip-off. “Our style of play is different with those guys on the floor and so, it’s going to be a different game tonight and we’ll see.”
From his seat on the sideline, Lue saw the Clippers fix some of their wrongs of their 18-point loss two nights earlier – and make the most of their infusion of talent. This time, L.A. fended off Utah’s second-half surge and snapped the Jazz’s nine-game winning streak.
Behind 29 points from Leonard, 19 from Lou Williams, 17 apiece from Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris Sr., and 15 more from George in his 27 minutes of limited action, the Clippers (22-9) handed Utah (24-6) just its second loss in its last 22 games.
“They are the best team in the NBA right now, record-wise, we knew that they won 20 of 21 coming into tonight and we understood and knew that,” Lue said. “We got our guys back and we wanted to win this game and the guys went out and did a hell of a job.”
Leonard, wearing a black sleeve over the left calf that kept him from playing the previous three games, shot 10 for 24 and played 38 minutes in his return.
The Clippers led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter and went into the break ahead, 57-49.
But Donovan Mitchell – chilly in the first half, with just six points on 6-for-9 shooting – started to heat up, scoring 12 of his game-high 35 points in the third quarter, when his 7-0 personal run early in the period cut the lead to 59-56. He tied it at 61-61 after taking Leonard off the dribble and sinking a floater, contributing to an 18-6 Utah run that gave the Jazz a 67-65 edge.
Now at full strength, the Clippers had enough in the tank this time to respond – and they had Leonard, who carried his teammates in the third period with 12 points, including making a pair of free throws to put L.A. ahead 79-75 entering the fourth quarter.
Against lesser teams, the Clippers would have all but hammered the nail in the coffin – bang, bang – with 2:28 left after Patrick Beverley’s back-to-back 3-pointers gave the Clippers a 107-94 lead.
But the Jazz – winners that they’ve proved themselves to be – scrapped to make it close on the backstretch with a stubborn final 40 seconds of fight.
“They’re the No. 1 team in the NBA, and they’re No. 1 for a reason,” Beverley said. “You got to give them ultimate respect, they didn’t go down, they kept fighting, and that’s what you expect but … we have to do a better job. We’ll look at the film and we will be better.”
What they’ll see when they review the tape is that Mitchell rebounded Leonard’s missed free throw and made a layup, then made a steal that led to a pair of Bojan Bogdanovic free throws.
Beverley came through again, stepping to the line and burying a pair of free throws to push the lead to 110-104 with 20.1 seconds left: “Trust the work,” Beverley said of his big shots Friday. “That’s all, just trust the work, putting in a lot of work for a lot of years and it’s been playing off over time so just trust the work.”
The Jazz certainly trust Mitchell – who poured in 17 points in the fourth period, including lofting in a pair of 3-pointers to keep the Jazz afloat, 112-110 with 13 long seconds still to play.
Back to the foul line went Beverley, who buried both clutch freebies with 10.1 seconds left to give the Clippers the 114-110 advantage.
Mitchell’s ensuing fling from deep bounced off the rim and into the hands of Leonard, who returned to the free-throw line to knock down both foul shots with just 6.2 ticks to go.
Even that didn’t settle it, though.
Mitchell drew a foul on George while launching a 3-point try with 2.2 seconds left. Mitchell made his first two attempts and missed the final one intentionally. Royce O’Neale got the rebound, but he missed a 21-foot jumper as time expired, allowing the Clippers to exhale.
“I mean it’s something to learn from, but Utah’s a good team, they fought, you’ve got to give them credit,” Leonard said. “But I mean … we won so I’m happy with it.”
“Yeah, that was stupid,” Lue said of the closing sequence, noting that otherwise, the Clippers took care of business to his liking.
“Our defense was pretty good until the heroics of Donovan Mitchell down the stretch,” Lue said. “Pat Beverley and PG, we did a decent job on that first half and second half, he got going, that’s what great players do. Overall, defensively, I thought we were pretty good like I said until the last 40 seconds or whatever it was of the game.”
Using Wednesday’s loss to the Jazz as a study guide, the Clippers entered Friday’s contest knowing what needed doing if they hoped to win.
Their to-do list included cutting way down on turnovers: On Friday, they had just 11 giveaways, which resulted in 11 points for Utah (compare that with 16 turnovers Wednesday that equated to 21 Jazz points).
Also, the Clippers wanted to limit the number of offensive boards Rudy Gobert and friends corralled: This time, Utah finished with six offensive rebounds (versus the 17 they pulled down last game, more than any of the Clippers’ opponents this season, a total that turned into 21 Jazz points).
The Clippers, conversely, had 11 offensive rebounds Friday, when they won the overall rebounding battle, 45-38. Gobert finished with 15 boards as the Clippers worked to lure him away from the paint by stationing Serge Ibaka at the 3-point line and running more “small-small pick-and-rolls,” Lue said.
Before shootaround Friday, center Ivica Zubac – who had eight rebounds in the win, four of them on the offensive end – swore it would be different than the previous game.
“As soon as we started giving up those offensive boards, they started kicking them out to wide-open 3s, that’s where the game got away,” Zubac said. “I know it’s a team effort, but it’s my biggest responsibility and I’ma do a much better job tonight, we’re not gonna let those things affect this game tonight.”
The Clippers also wanted to limit Utah’s 3-point attempts for more than a half.
Utah entered Friday’s game averaging a league-leading 42.3 3-point tries per game (of which they were making 46.6%). Against the Clippers on Friday, they shot just 34 – and made only 12.
Conley finished with 16 points in his first game after missing the previous six with a hamstring injury and Bogdanovic added 23. Reserve Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points.
29 points for Kawhi power the @LAClippers at Staples Center.
pic.twitter.com/p225nl7dbu
— NBA (@NBA) February 20, 2021
Patrick Beverley had plenty to say after a hard-fought win over the Jazz!@LAClippers | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/wcAOesNFjF
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 20, 2021
BIG-SHOT BEVERLY!
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 20, 2021
17 HUGE points off the bench including this 3-ball!@LAClippers | @MookMorris2 pic.twitter.com/JJ2YhigoLj
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 20, 2021
The @LAClippers were able to get their first and only win against the #Jazz this regular season and Ty Lue fielded questions after the victory!#ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/8en4TVOGrG
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) February 20, 2021
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