Saturday will mark the first day of the 2017 NBA Playoffs with four different series getting started. The nightcap game to close out the day's action will feature Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz visiting Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers. The two teams finished with identical records, but the Clippers were able to snag the important homecourt advantage for this first-round series. Here's a look at the Game 1 preview as well as how to watch the Jazz vs. Clippers live streaming online or on TV.

Utah vs. LA Game 1 preview

Both the Clippers and Jazz finished with 51-31 records this season, but thanks to a tie-breaker, Los Angeles was able to have home court advantage.

They'll play the first two games at the Staples Center, with Game 2 on this coming Tuesday.

Los Angeles owned the season series, going 3-1 against Utah, including a 108-95 home win back on March 25th. Jamal Crawford led all scorers with 28 points in that game which saw the Clippers clinch their playoff berth. NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert came up with 26 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

The Clippers come into this game having won seven in a row, making them the hottest team in the 2017 postseason. They'll be led by top scorer Blake Griffin who gets 21.6 on average a night. Chris Paul leads all players with 9.2 assists, while big man DeAndre Jordan grabs almost 14 boards per contest.

For the Jazz, Gordon Hayward leads in points (21.9 ppg) and assists (3.5 apg) while Rudy Gobert is averaging 12.8 rebounds a game. The team is 7-3 over their last 10 games, including wins over Golden State, San Antonio, and Portland, all of whom are now competing in the playoffs.

On the point spread, the home team Clippers are 5.5-point favorites as of this report, or -240 on the moneyline.

The Jazz are priced at +200 on the moneyline as the underdogs. Utah has been 8-15 against the spread this past season in that role, and 19-21-1 ATS on the road. Los Angeles is a 31-23-2 ATS team as the favorite, or 22-18-1 ATS at home. Saturday night's over/under points total is right around 200.5 points for the game.

How to watch Game 1 live

The Jazz vs. Clippers Game 1 of the NBA playoffs is scheduled for tip-off at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Live television coverage of this game will be provided by ESPN. Cable and satellite subscribers should be able to access the WatchESPN website or mobile apps to watch a live streaming online feed of this game as it happens.

For viewers without cable or satellite, but who have a hi-speed internet connection, the SlingTV service is a potential free option to watch the NBA game live streaming. SlingTV offers channel streaming packages including a basic package with ESPN included in it. The service is currently available for a free one week trial basis for all new customers. More details are provided through the Sling.com website.
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