We see this at some point in almost every postseason. That's not going to cut it against an offense this good. All the Clippers can do at this point is pick a path and hope that either Mitchell misses, or that they can force him to pass and his teammates do. There just aren't any coverages left that work against Mitchell. This is the last level offensive players need to reach to claim superstardom, and it's the point Luka Doncic reached last round as well. There is no good answer for Mitchell anymore. Mitchell noticed this immediately and hit Zubac for two quick pull-up 3-pointers coming off of the screens. Doing so forced them to play drop coverage off of pick-and-rolls because Zubac isn't quick enough to defend the perimeter.
JAZZ SCORE SERIES
The Clippers had largely been playing small since the Dallas series in an effort to both maximize their spacing and increase switchability on defense, but after their Game 1 struggles, they went back to a big lineup with Ivica Zubac at center. It just didn't work because Mitchell destroyed basically every coverage they threw at him. The Clippers tried to adjust defensively in Game 2. This is a basic superstar strategy and the easiest way to exploit a switch. Mitchell's masteryĪs I referenced after Game 1, Donovan Mitchell destroyed the Clippers by switch-hunting their worst defenders in pick-and-roll. Here are the three biggest takeaways from Game 2. They'll have to be even better to beat this stellar Jazz team, but if the Dallas series proved anything, it was that they're resilient enough for the job. The Clippers were in this position last round, though, so comebacks are hardly unfamiliar to them. With the victory, the Jazz now lead this series 2-0 as it transitions to Los Angeles. Sadly, they were no match for Donovan Mitchell, who followed up his 45-point Game 1 masterpiece with a 37-point gem in Game 2. No, that would be Reggie Jackson, who poured in a team-high 29 points to keep the Clippers afloat in this one.
It wasn't Kawhi Leonard or Paul George that led the way for the Clippers. The Jazz led by as many as 21 points, but a furious second-half comeback by the Clippers fell just short as Utah walked away with the 117-111 victory. The Utah Jazz have successfully defended their home court in the Western Conference semifinals as they took care of the Los Angeles Clippers in crunch time to win Game 2 of their best-of-seven series.
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