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The LA Clippers pulled off an emphatic 25-point comeback win against the Utah Jazz on Friday night to win their Western Conference Semifinals series 4-2. Ty Lue's men shot 71.4% from the field in the second half to record a 131-119 victory that secured the first-ever Conference Finals berth for the franchise in NBA history.
The Utah Jazz exorcized their shooting demons from the previous matchup to start blazing hot from the field yet again. Both Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson seemed unstoppable as the Jazz sprinted to a 72-50 lead by halftime.
Most fans assumed that the LA Clippers would waive the white flag, especially considering they had the cushion of a Game 7. But the hosts had their own plans. The likes of Terance Mann, Reggie Jackson and Paul George all rose to the occasion to help their side finish the job.
Without further ado, let's look at five reasons why the LA Clippers beat the Utah Jazz in Game 6.
#1 LA Clippers shoot lights out from downtown in the second half
The LA Clippers gave up 12 three-pointers to the Utah Jazz in the first half, but after the break, it was their time to fire back. Ty Lue's men moved the ball well and created good looks from beyond the arc to shoot 14-of-19 from range in the second half.
The hosts eventually outscored the Utah Jazz 81-47 in the last two quarters of the game. Terance Mann was the wrecker-in-chief, but Patrick Beverley also got into the act late in the fourth quarter to close out the game for the LA Clippers.
#2 Terance Mann torches Utah Jazz with a historic performance
Terance Mann made the headlines in Game 5 for a poster dunk on Rudy Gobert, but tonight, he pulverized the Utah Jazz defense from everywhere on the court. Mann got off to a quick start and scored 12 points in the first quarter, but couldn't carry that rhythm into the second. The real Mann stood up after the break, though.
Terance Mann went on a scoring tear and dropped 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the third quarter. His burst allowed the LA Clippers to go on a 17-0 run that created the inroads the hosts needed to mount a comeback. Mann finished with 39 points on 15-of-21 shooting, his highest tally ever across college and NBA games.
#3 Utah Jazz fail to adjust to the LA Clippers' small lineup
Interior defense was the Utah Jazz's biggest weapon throughout the season, but the LA Clippers took that out of the equation in the second half by using a small lineup.
The likes of Reggie Jackson and Paul George drove to the rim to make the defense collapse on them, thereby leaving several wide-open men on the perimeter. This allowed the LA Clippers to create a ton of high-quality shots from downtown, especially from corners.
Ty Lue's men attempted 22 corner threes in the game, making 13 of them. Rudy Gobert was at fault here for not being good enough at closing out the shooters.
#4 LA Clippers exploit an injured Donovan Mitchell on defense
Donovan Mitchell had another barnburner of a game tonight, recording 39 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. He was, however, playing with an ankle injury that made him a liability on defense.
Reggie Jackson exploited Mitchell's wonky lateral movement and drove against him at every possible opportunity. When the help defense arrived, Jackson passed to an open man for a quality look. In other cases, he just eased past Mitchell and finished at the rim for a basket himself. Jackson finished with 27 points, 10 assists and three rebounds.
#5 Paul George plays his part to perfection against the Utah Jazz
After putting up arguably the best performance of his NBA career in Game 5, Paul George struggled to get going in the first half tonight. He was just 5-of-14 from the field in the first 24 minutes with the Utah Jazz defenders giving him extra attention.
Instead of trying to force his way, Paul George deferred the ball to his LA Clippers teammates in the second half and focused more on synchronizing the defense. It worked wonders as both Terance Mann and Reggie Jackson went on an offensive juggernaut in the third quarter, while he forced stops and turnovers.
This allowed the LA Clippers to outscore the Utah Jazz 41-22 in the third quarter, and they eventually completed the turnaround in the fourth. George found his shooting form in the final period of the game and finished with 28 points. He also had nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals to his name.
Guess the Lakers players!
