Utah Jazz (58-21) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (51-30)
June 12, 2021 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Clippers -4.5; Over/Under: -223.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers duke it out in a pivotal Game 3 at the Staples Center on Saturday night.
The Utah Jazz will be looking to take a commanding 3-0 series lead after taking care of business in a 117-111 win in Game 2 on Thursday. Donovan Mitchell led the team with 37 points on 15 of 29 shooting, Jordan Clarkson drained six 3-pointers to finish with 24 points off the bench, Joe Ingles scored 19 points while Rudy Gobert chipped in with 13 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks. As a team, the Jazz shot a healthy 55 percent from the field and 20 of 39 from the 3-point line as they poured in 36 points in the second quarter to lead by as many as 21 points, before having to rally in the fourth quarter after surrendering that lead. Mike Conley sat out the game with a hamstring injury and is currently considered questionable for Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers will be hoping to finally make their mark in this series after falling just short to the Jazz on Thursday. Reggie Jackson led the team with 29 points on 11 of 19 shooting, Paul George added 27 points with 10 rebounds and six assists while Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 21 points and five assists. As a team, the Clippers shot 47 percent from the field and 11 of 30 from the 3-point line as they struggled for most of the game and trailed by as many as 21 points early in the third quarter, before rallying all the way back to take the lead behind some solid defense and a scoring burst from Jackson. However, the Clippers got just 19 points from their bench and 21 points from their leading scorer in Leonard which just wasn’t enough to beat the Jazz in their own building.
Looking at the betting trends, the Jazz are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games, 6-0 ATS in their last six games against a team with a winning record and 6-0 ATS in their last six games overall. The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games, 0-5 ATS in their last five Conference Semifinals games and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a loss.
Head to head, the under is 3-1-1 in the last five meetings overall, the Jazz are 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings in Los Angeles and the Jazz are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings overall.
The Jazz are just growing in confidence with each game as they’re getting it done without one of their key players in Conley who could be out once again with that lingering hamstring injury. The Clippers will take some confidence from their effort on Thursday as they were able to take the lead despite trailing for most of the game, but they know they can’t afford to slip up in this one as no team ever comes back from a 3-0 series deficit. I’m sure the Clippers will come out firing at home in this one, but I’m sticking with the Jazz and the points in what should be a close finish.
