The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Clippers allow Jazz to snap 5-game skid
SALT LAKE CITY >> Jordan Clarkson had a seasonhigh 33 points and five assists, and the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 125-112 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.
Collin Sexton added 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for the Jazz. Lauri Markkanen chipped in 23 points and nine rebounds. Jarred Vanderbilt added 14 points and 12 rebounds.
John Wall finished with a season-high 26 points off the bench to lead Los Angeles. Reggie Jackson added 15 points for the Clippers, who lost despite outscoring Utah 65-22 in bench points.
The Clippers erased a double-digit deficit with a 12-0 run midway through the second quarter and took a 45-43 lead on a tipin basket from Ivica Zubac that punctuated the run.
Clarkson made baskets on three straight possessions to energize the Jazz and put Utah back in front. The Clippers countered with a 9-0 run, capped by back-to-back baskets by Wall, and raced to a 60-56 lead in the final minute before halftime.
Utah reclaimed the lead for good behind an 22-6 run in the third quarter. Sexton scored backto-back baskets to start a string of 11 consecutive possessions in which the Jazz scored and capped the run with a free throw, giving Utah a 90-76 advantage.
The Clippers drew within a basket early in the fourth quarter, closing to 98-95 on Moussa Diabate’s three-point play. Then, the Jazz closed the door on a comeback. Vanderbilt, Clarkson, and Sexton combined to score baskets over seven straight possessions, pushing Utah’s lead to 113-99 midway through the quarter. Five of those seven baskets were in the paint.
NOTES >> Norman Powell was inactive (left groin strain) after scoring a season-high 32 points against Portland a night earlier. … Moussa Diabate finished with a team-high eight rebounds.