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Los Angeles • It became fairly clear during Tuesday night's Game 5 of the Jazz-Clippers first-round playoff series that in a defensive battle much of the scoring would come from Gordon Hayward and Chris Paul.

Those guys would carry a heavy burden and the other guys on each side … well, we'd wait and see how they handled the pressure.

Even as the teams struggled from the field early on, the Jazz hitting 45 percent of their shots in the first half and the Clippers making just 39 percent, Hayward and Paul were not only doing the heavy lifting, they were quite efficient in that work.

Hayward made 5 of his first 8 attempts for 14 points, nearly one-third of his team's scoring, which included 3 of 4 shots from beyond the arc. Paul made 4 of 8 for nine. Paul also had five first-half assists, involving himself in just short of half of the Clippers' points.

The second half brought more of the same, as the Jazz ended up edging the Clips, 96-92, holding on in the final moments to take a 3-2 lead in games. Over long stretches, it seemed as though neither team could consistently connect on jumpers, floaters, runners or shots of any kind. Ultimately, the Jazz hit 43 percent, the Clippers 42 percent.

It was difficult to determine whether the offensive troubles stemmed more from good defense or shaky, nervous play. Either way, Hayward wound up making 9 of 16 shots for 27 points, while Paul made 10 of 19 for 28.

Help eventually did come — for both teams. It just that the Jazz's was more balanced and more effective. Paul got a boost from JJ Redick, who came alive to get 26 points on 7 of 12 shooting. DeAndre Jordan added 14 points, but after that, the offensive efforts were sparse.

Besides Hayward, five other Jazz players scored in double figures: Rodney Hood with 16 points, Joe Johnson with 14, George Hill with 12, Rudy Gobert with 11 and Boris Diaw with 10.

In the postgame, Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, in so many words, that the Jazz benefited in Game 5 from many players getting pressed into action, gaining experience during the regular season, on account of injuries. He said the guys coming off the bench are like starters and that they don't concern themselves with when they play.

"We finished the game with Rodney and Joe Johnson, two guys that aren't starters," he said. "I think that's one of the good things about this group. I don't think guys care that much whether they're starting or not, and everybody is behind each other. … We've got some guys who like playing, and anytime you like playing basketball and you like playing together, I think your focus is on that as opposed to [feeling] any particular level of pressure."

So, because the Jazz did like playing together, they didn't feel as much angst, making, in Snyder's mind, the difference.