LOS ANGELES — The Clippers found out shortly before tipoff Friday night that they had secured the fourth playoff spot in the Western Conference, diminishing the importance of their game against the Utah Jazz.
Win or lose, they were going to have home-court advantage for their best-of-seven first-round series against the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, which begins April 20 or 21.
So after a dominant start, coach Tyronn Lue dropped his starters, allowing the injury-depleted Jazz to be competitive against a top team and come away with a 110-109 victory. at the Crypto.com Arena.
Despite two straight losses down the stretch, Lue was encouraged by his team’s recent play. He said the Clippers got back to where they were, compiling a 26-5 run before the All-Star break.
“I think we’re back to where we were when we were 26-5,” Lue said. “Winning four games in a row against good teams with Kawhi (Leonard) out shows what we have done to progress and improve. Because before, it was hard to win without Kawhi on the floor.
“So we took these steps. We definitely improved defensively. This is where it all begins. I think we’re at an all-time high right now and I can’t wait to get started.
Before Lue gets too far ahead in playoff mode, the Clippers will play one more regular season game Sunday afternoon against the Houston Rockets. He should rest the starters again.
Lue said coming out of the Utah game injury-free was more important than adding another win against a team they beat by 29 points a week ago. The Clippers (51-30) were already without All-Star forward Leonard, who missed his seventh straight game with right knee inflammation, and didn’t want to risk losing another player before the playoffs. playoffs.
“Definitely health,” Lue said when asked what his No. 1 priority was with two games remaining, followed by “doing things the right way, playing the right way, continuing to take good habits. But the most important thing is health. »
Therefore, Lue was cautious in his approach to the game, resting All-Star Paul George, center Ivica Zubac, guard Terance Mann and former league MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook after the first quarter. None of them played more than 10 minutes. George and Zubac each had 10 points before leaving the game.
This allowed reservists to spend significant time in the field again. Bones Hyland had 20 points, five rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes, two days after recording a career-high 37 points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. Amir Coffey finished with 16 points and six rebounds and Daniel Theis added 14 points.
With their playoff seeding locked, the Clippers have little incentive to bring Leonard back for Sunday’s regular-season finale.
Returning to Los Angeles early after their last long trip, Leonard reportedly underwent a precautionary MRI which showed no major damage to his right knee. However, the team has remained tight-lipped on the details of his inflammation and his exact return date.
If Leonard returns Sunday, it will be the eighth straight game he has missed, giving him no time to improve his game. He only missed six games this season before April.
When asked if Leonard would be willing to play against Dallas, he said, “That’s what we want to see.” I hope he plays.
It was the Jazz’s second straight victory after losing 13 in a row, a victory that coach Will Hardy will hold on to for a while. Utah (31-50) has struggled this season and Hardy said this game will provide another lesson for his injury-depleted team.
Utah had six players on the injured list – Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, John Collins, Walker Kessler and Kris Dunn.
“This is a team that’s at a place we want to get to,” Hardy said before the game. “We’re about to feel what it’s like to be one, to face a team that is at this level and two, to face a team that is playing with desperation (to lock in its ranking). This is the happy medium we want to be in.
The Jazz were led by Kenneth Lofton Jr., who had a game-high 27 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
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