Every day during the NBA Playoffs, The Athletic’s NBA writers will make their picks straight up. We put our picks and all series coverage, plus the latest odds, all in one place for fans to easily digest and follow. Our in-depth coverage from every team is linked below the picks. If you’d like a free year of The Athletic (or an extension!), BetMGM is running a special offer, which also includes $100 in bonus bets.
Game 3 – Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (-4.5)
Total: 223.5
GAME 2: JAZZ 117, CLIPPERS 111
Series: Jazz lead 2-0
In the first half of this game, Donovan Mitchell picked up where he left off in Game 1. He was torching the LA Clippers. The Utah Jazz star scored 32 points in the second half of Game 1. He dropped 27 points in the first half of Game 2, making big reads and every play imaginable against the Clippers and their defensive coverages. Nothing was working, and we saw the Jazz lead balloon to 19 points at a certain point in the third quarter. Then the Clippers decided to throw a wrench into everything. They started playing zone, and it took the Jazz out of their rhythm. Mitchell slowed down. The Jazz started forcing up some shots they wouldn’t normally take. And the Clippers kept chipping away at the lead. Not only did they get back in the game, but the hot shooting continued for Reggie Jackson, who has been stellar for the Clippers over the last handful of games. A 3-pointer in the fourth quarter gave the Clippers the lead, as they finally got Paul George going in the second half and tried to survive foul trouble that took Kawhi Leonard out for big stretches. The Jazz responded though. They went on a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead and eventually closed out with the six-point win. Bojan Bogdanovic played stellar defense against Leonard in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers kept hoping either Marcus Morris Sr. or Patrick Beverley would make big shots. They didn’t. Rudy Gobert followed up his Defensive Player of the Year award with a monster game grabbing 20 rebounds and blocking three shots. The Jazz take the 2-0 series lead and have to feel good about themselves. However, Mitchell seemed to hurt his ankle again late in the game on an odd collision with George, and now Utah will have to monitor that and hope Mike Conley is back for Game 3 regardless.
NBA Playoffs
NBA Power Rankings: Who are the biggest title threats left in the playoffs?
NBA Playoff Betting Guide: Daily picks, odds, team rankings and win probabilities
Scores & schedule | NBA podcasts | Complete NBA coverage
(Photo of Paul George: Adam Pantozzi / NBAE via Getty Images; The Athletic may receive an affiliate commission if you open an account with BetMGM through links contained in the above article.)
Get all-access to exclusive stories.
Subscribe to The Athletic for ad-free, in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.
