Utah Jazz vs. LA Clippers Prediction & Match Preview - December 17th, 2020 | NBA Preseason 2020-21

The Utah Jazz and LA Clippers, two members of the upper echelon of the Western Conference, will meet each other in an NBA preseason clash on Thursday. The Utah Jazz are in good form, winning their first two games against the Phoenix Suns, while the LA Clippers have struggled to get into a rhythm.

Fixture - Utah Jazz vs LA Clippers - NBA Preseason

Date & Time - December 17th, 10 PM ET (December 18th, 8:30 AM IST)

Location - Staples Centre, Los Angeles

The Utah Jazz will be dependent on the duo of Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic to win this game after they had strong outings against the Suns. On the other hand, Tyronn Lue is expecting a strong response from his star tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

LA Clippers Preview

Running it back in black. pic.twitter.com/tFDhLH82i1

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 1, 2020

The LA Clippers have retooled their roster this offseason, bringing in Luke Kennard and Serge Ibaka through NBA trades and free agency. They also resigned power forward Marcus Morris, who was impressive for them in the Orlando bubble, to a new deal.

After back-to-back defeats against the LA Lakers in the preseason, the newly appointed Lue will be looking to get a win under his belt against the Utah Jazz, and fans can expect changes being made to the starting line-up.

Key Player - Kawhi Leonard

Los Angeles Clippers v Los Angeles Lakers

Leonard has caught a lot of flak since the LA Clippers' exit from the bubble for his failure to take the team through to Western Conference Finals despite leading 3-1 against the Denver Nuggets. Leonard was abysmal in the 4th quarter of the deciding Game 7 and will have to redeem himself in the upcoming season.

A good way to do that would be lead by example against the Utah Jazz in this NBA preseason fixture. The Utah Jazz have struggled against wings in recent times, and this could just be the game Leonard needs to find his rhythm.

LA Clippers Predicted Lineup

Patrick Beverley, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Nicholas Batum, Serge Ibaka

Utah Jazz Preview

📓| “The biggest thing is we have to make sure defense carries us whether we’re having good nights or bad nights.”https://t.co/WSZmghMoFV

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) December 15, 2020

The Utah Jazz will be the Western Conference's sleeper team this season and could upset one of the contenders and make a deep run in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

They won their first two preseason games against the Phoenix Suns comfortably and is looking to repeat their performance against the LA Clippers. Mitchell and Rudy Gobert form the team's main duo and will be responsible for leading the team to the playoffs this season.

Key Player - Donovan Mitchell

Phoenix Suns v Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz's ceiling in the West will be heavily impacted by just how much Mitchell manages to improve this season. Mitchell's set to be the face of the franchise for the next few years and must build on his performances from the 2020 NBA Playoffs where he averaged 36.3 points per game.

Coach Quin Synder will be banking on the youngster to perform against the LA Clippers after showing impressive form in the first two games.

Utah Jazz Predicted Lineup

Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert

Jazz vs Clippers Match Prediction

After winning two games in succession, the Utah Jazz will be heavy favorites to win this encounter, as well. The LA Clippers have the ability to cause an upset, but the team looks out of sync at the moment, which could help Mitchell and company, who are expected to win this game.

Where to Watch Jazz vs Clippers

Locally, the fans will be able to watch the game on Fox Sports Prime Ticket and AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain. You can also catch the game on on NBA League Pass.

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