The first round series between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers came down to one game -- Game 7. With series tied at three wins apiece, the Clippers hosted Game 7 at home on Sunday. It was a crowded arena once again as Clipper fans wanted to see their team win and advance to the second round. Los Angeles was short-handed since they were playing without Blake Griffin in this one. Griffin injured the plantar plate of his right big toe in Game 3 and he is out for the remainder of the season. Entering Sunday's game, the previous six games of the series were decided by eight points or less, with Los Angeles outscoring Utah 98.8 points to 98.0 points.
Wire to wire victory for the Jazz
It was a closely contested game early on as both teams managed to keep their pace in the first quarter. Midway through the first period the Jazz held a 16-10 lead. The score was tied at 24-24 after the first 12 minutes of the game. Utah started to pull away in the second quarter as they allowed the Clippers only 15 points in the period. At halftime the score was 46-39 for the away team. The Jazz opened the third quarter on a 23-9 run, extending their lead to 69-48 midway through the third.
Going into the final period of the game, Utah held a 79-63 lead. The closest the Clippers would come was eight poinst late in the fourth quarter but that was it. Utah came out with a 104-91 win as they outrebounded Los Angeles 46-38 in this one.
They held LA to just 6-for-25 shooting from the three-point line (24%) and forced them into 12 turnovers. It was a wire to wire victory for Utah as the Clippers only led this game at 3-2 and 5-4 early in the first quarter. Doc Rivers' squad was outscored 56-46 in the paint and 12-9 in fast-break points.
Well balanced scoring for Utah in Game 7
It was the first postseason series win for Utah since 2010. They had seven different players finish in double-digit scoring in Sunday's Game 7. Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists. George Hill contributed with 17 points and five assists, while Joe Ingles added 12 points.
Derrick Favors was huge off the bench for the Jazz as he finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes of playing time.
For the Clippers it was DeAndre Jordan who led the way. He scored 24 points and pulled down 17 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the series. Jamal Crawford added 20 points off the bench, while Chris Paul finished with 13 points and nine assists.
Utah now advances to the Western Conference Semifinals to face the Golden State Warriors. Game 1 of that series will be played on Tuesday night in Oakland.
