The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers by a score of 104-91 in Game 7 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. What allowed them to win the series?
For the first time since 2010, the Utah Jazz will be appearing in the second round of the playoffs after their win over the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.
The series was incredibly close throughout, with the Jazz scoring 692 total points to the Clippers’ 684. In fact, no game other than the last one had a margin of victory greater than seven points.
Utah Jazz
In Game 1, Rudy Gobert went down with what would layer be diagnosed as a knee hyperextension, but Joe Johnson saved the day with a game-winning floater at the buzzer to put the Jazz in the driver’s seat.
Games 2 and 3 went to the Clippers, as Blake Griffin and Chris Paul feasted on a depleted Jazz front line to swing home-court advantage back in their favor.
However, Griffin suffered a toe injury near the end of Game 3 that would sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.
Gobert made his return in Game 4, where the Jazz once again won thanks to the late efforts of Joe Johnson.
Utah then went on to take a critical Game 5 on the road, which would put them into position to eventually win the series in Game 7.
The Jazz now advance to take on the first-seeded Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals, where they’ll face a tough test of the league’s best team.
So what enabled the Jazz to take their first round playoff series? Let’s get into it.