Jazz vs Clippers Game 4 Odds, Lineups, Picks & Injury Report

• The Jazz and Clippers face off in Game 4 at the Staples Center on Monday
• LA cruised to a big win on Saturday night behind Kawhi Leonard’s 34 points
• Get the odds, preview, injury report, and pick below

After a very lopsided Game 3 in LA, the Clippers and Jazz meet again on Monday night with Utah up 2-1 in this Western Conference semifinal. Los Angeles responded with authority on Saturday night, securing a 26-point victory at the Staples Center.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George went to work, combining for 75 of their team’s 132 points. As for the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell continued his playoff dominance with a 30-piece of his own.

Jazz vs Clippers Game 4 Odds

Odds as of June 13th.

Injury Report

Utah guard Mike Conley (hamstring) has missed the first three games of the series. While his status is unknown for Monday’s matchup, it seems likely that he will be ruled out once again. That will result in Joe Ingles starting alongside Donovan Mitchell in the Jazz backcourt.

The Clippers also have just one absence in big man Serge Ibaka. He underwent season-ending back surgery on Friday to resolve a chronic issue that’s kept him sidelined for a huge chunk of the campaign.

Jazz vs Clippers Projected Lineups

Utah Needs to Clean it up

Scoring-wise, Utah received respectable contributions from the majority of their rotation other than the red-hot Mitchell, with five other players finishing in double-digits. But, Quin Snyder’s team was far too sloppy with the ball, committing 13 turnovers which turned into 24 points for the Clippers.

Don: 30p | 5 3pm | 5r | 4a | 2s
Joe: 19p | 5 3pm | 4r | 2a | 1s
JC: 14p | 4 3pm | 3r | 3a | 1s
Rudy: 12p | 10r | 1b | 1s | 4-4 ft
Royce: 12p | 6r | 4 3pm | 2a | 2s
Bojan: 9p | 4t | 1a | 4-4 ft
Fav: 4r | 2p#podiumpostgame | @podiumhq pic.twitter.com/Jg1GiBYHeX

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) June 13, 2021

While the Jazz still shot an impressive 43% from downtown, they went just 17 for 40 inside the arc as LA’s zone defense finally caused some problems for them. Points in the paint proved to be a difference-maker as well, with the Clippers outscoring Utah 44-32.

Although Mitchell did have another impressive performance, he didn’t register his first basket until midway through the second quarter. That allowed Los Angeles to take a quick lead from the tip as they rode the momentum all the way until the end of Game 3. The former Louisville star left early in the final quarter after appearing to tweak his ankle and didn’t return. But, it’s not anything serious and he will be ready to roll on Monday.

In order to potentially take a 3-1 stranglehold in this series, Utah needs to come out of the gates firing from the start and set the tone. That comes down to getting Mitchell going early and also trying to limit Paul George, who the Jazz did a solid job of shutting down in the first two games until he went off on Saturday. Not having Conley is a real blow as well, but they’ll have to stay afloat without him.

Superstar Duo Shows Out

It was truly the Kawhi and PG show in Game 3. While Leonard has been phenomenal throughout the course of the playoffs, George was struggling early in this Utah series, especially from the field.

Kawhi and Paul George delivered for the Clippers to take Game 3 👏 pic.twitter.com/tqGPfjkj6N

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 13, 2021

However, it was a much different story in front of the Clippers faithful. Playoff P was lights out, dropping 31 while shooting at an extremely efficient rate. He went 50% from the field and drained 6 of his 10 threes.

In fact, LA literally couldn’t miss from downtown, shooting 53% as a team. A big X-factor here was Ty Lue resorting back to his small-ball lineup from the first round. That meant inserting Nic Batum back into the first unit at the five instead of Ivica Zubac.

As a result, Utah big man Rudy Gobert was often seen floating out to the perimeter to guard a shooter which opened up more room for the Clippers to thrive around the hoop. Leonard was the main catalyst, collecting more than half of his points in the paint.

Prediction

This was arguably the best performance of the postseason from LA in Game 3. Seeing George finally rise to the occasion alongside Kawhi was a very promising sign. The Jazz will definitely look to make the necessary adjustments on Monday especially when it comes to Gobert, but I think the Clippers are going to ride the wave and even up this series at two on home court. Take Los Angeles to cover the spread.

Pick: Los Angeles Clippers -5 (-110)