On the same night when the Jazz were struggling to close out the visiting Lakers, the Clippers kept their faint playoff hopes alive, squeezing out a three-point victory over the Spurs.
The same urgency Quin Snyder asked for after Tuesday night is the urgency the Clippers already have — they have no choice, needing to win out to even have a chance of getting in the Western Conference mix.
“They’ve dealt with injury all season, and it’s obviously a credit to Doc [Rivers],” Snyder said. “We know them, they know us, and we expect a difficult and competitive game.”
It could be made more difficult depending on the availability of Joe Ingles (knee bruise), who was listed as probable for Thursday night’s game at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
CLIPPERS AT JAZZ<br>When • Thursday, 7 p.m.<br>TV • ATTSN
The biggest thing the fourth-place Jazz (45-33) are looking for is some energy to start games. Particularly at home, starting slow has been the norm lately, and it has forced Utah to dig itself out of difficult situations. The Jazz are in control of getting home-court advantage for the first round of playoffs as long as they win their remaining four, so they want to make it less hard on themselves by getting ahead early.
Lately, the winning formula has also been run through Ricky Rubio, who is averaging more than 17 points and 6 assists per game in his last 15 appearances. Rubio recently said he thinks he’s enjoying the best season of his career, and he’s hoping that it continues as the Jazz roll toward the postseason.
“Confidence, experience, seven years in the league,” he said. “I’m in a rhythm, and I want to go even better than I’ve been going.”
