The Utah Jazz will fight for their playoff lives this Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers. If they are to extend the series to a Game 7, the Jazz would have to score their first win of the playoffs in Tinseltown. Will the Clippers write out a nice ending for themselves in the second round with a victory? Or, will the Jazz pack their bags and head home to Salt Lake City for a Game 7?
Catch this game live on Saturday, June 19, at 10 AM, Manila time.
HOME TEAM: Los Angeles Clippers (3-2, 2-0 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Reggie Jackson
- SG: Terance Mann
- SF: Paul George
- PF: Marcus Morris Sr.
- C: Nic Batum
Just when everyone was thinking that Utah would have Game 5 in the bag before it even started largely because of Kawhi Leonard’s injury, the Clippers shocked them all by pulling off a 119-111 win in Game 5 in Salt Lake City.
George went off for 37 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field but also got tremendous support from the likes of Marcus Morris Sr. and Reggie Jackson, who had 25 and 22 points, respectively. The Clippers are not going to need that kind of production from the role players.
Ty Lue pretty much knows what the Clippers will get from George despite all the bad press PG13 has been getting from the reactionary world of social media, but it’s Jackson, Morris, Terance Mann, and Nic Batum, whose production will dictate the fate of the Clippers in this series.
With the Jazz missing Mike Conley Jr. and Donovan Mitchell not 100% healthy, George and company should be able to capitalize in attacking Utah’s backcourt. The Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a home underdog.
ROAD TEAM: Utah Jazz (2-3, 0-2 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Donovan Mitchell
- SG: Joe Ingles
- SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
- PF: Royce O’Neale
- C: Rudy Gobert
First of all, there’s no way Donovan Mitchell is going to miss Game 6. Mitchell is having issues with his ankle, which slowed him down in Game 5. But despite a questionable tag for Saturday’s game, he should play, given the situation the Jazz are in right now.
The hope is that a full day of rest would give Mitchell’s ankle enough time to get significantly better. Mitchell scored 21 points on just 6-of-19 shooting, with a bad 4-of-14 line from deep in Game 5, so an improved shot selection and distribution could go a long way for Utah. Perhaps the Jazz should give Bojan Bogdanovic a heavier load while he’s still hot.
The Croatian hotshot scored 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting with nine threes in Game 5. Then there’s Jordan Clarkson, who’s been a bit off of late. He’s scored just 37 points on 32.5 FG% in the last three games.
If there’s a game he has to show why he’s the Sixth Man of the Year, it’s in this do-or-die contest. The Jazz are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a road favorite.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: Don’t play this cute. Take the Jazz to run away with a win and cover (-2.0).
Over/Under: Marcus Morris Sr. isn’t going to go off as he did in Game 5 and Utah’s defense going to tighten up here, with Rudy Gobert playing his best game of the series, defensively at least. Take the Under (220.0).
