This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Los Angeles • Sure, the Jazz missed a lot of open shots in Game 6 on Friday night. No, they didn't play great defensively.
But more than one voice in Utah's locker room after the game said the Los Angeles Clippers were simply the tougher team, and that was the difference in the Clippers' 98-93 win at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
"It was just a bad night for us," Jazz guard Rodney Hood said. "I think they had a sense of urgency, and we didn't have that. They played well offensively. Chris Paul was good. Jamal Crawford got going. We could never get the momentum, and that hurt us."
The series between the Jazz and Clippers — the only one in the first round to go seven games — has been physical throughout. But Friday night, more than any game in the past two weeks, it was the Clippers bringing the fight to the Jazz.
Los Angeles rebounded the ball well, with DeAndre Jordan dominating the paint. They bumped Jazz players cutting through the lane off the ball. They pushed, held, shoved and clawed — reflecting the veteran experience that comes from a desperation to win and avoid elimination.
For the most part, the Jazz have no similar experience to draw from, and it showed on Friday. Utah had trouble responding in the third quarter when Los Angeles took a 69-61 lead, and the Clippers seized on those troubles to stretch the lead out to 91-77 in the fourth quarter.
Now, the Jazz did rally, and had a chance to tie at the buzzer. One question for Sunday's Game 7 for Utah is this; having seen how the Clippers played with desperate, can it match that desperation.
The players and coaches are confident they can. After all, the Jazz have won twice at Staples Center in the series.
"We have to go in and be confident," Jazz center Rudy Gobert said. "We have to forget about this game. We have to put it all out there. We have to give everything and just try and get the next game."
Gobert good to go
Gobert was sitting with his left ankle soaked in ice after Game 6, but said he will be fine to play Sunday. He turned the ankle attempting to box out on the free-throw line in the third quarter and tried to run the injury off, but played sparingly down the stretch.
"I sprained it on somebody's foot," Gobert said. "I tried to run through it, but that didn't work out. I've had a lot of sprained ankles before. I will be good."
It wasn't the first time Gobert has had health issues in this series. He hyperextended his knee 11 seconds into Game 1 and missed most of the first three games.
Odds and ends
The Clippers are 3-0 in the series when they have two days of rest between games, and Utah is 2-0 when the series has one day of rest between games — which is the situation going into Game 7. ... The winner of Game 7 will encounter a well-rested Golden State team. By the time Game 1 of the Western semifinals tips off Tuesday, the Warriors will have had eight days since their last game.
Twitter: @tribjazz