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The Los Angeles Clippers narrowly avoided another upset in the playoffs after beating Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in seven games on Sunday. It was no cakewalk by any means though, with Kawhi Leonard basically refusing to let his team lose. Now, the Clippers are set for a second-round meeting with the top-seeded Utah Jazz, who just smashed the Memphis Grizzlies in five games.
Here are three bold predictions for the Jazz-Clippers series.
Rudy Gobert dominates
Arguably the biggest mismatch in this matchup will be at center. Rudy Gobert is a walking tree who basically causes problems for any team in this league. The Clippers will counter with Ivica Zubac, but he's going to have an absolute fit containing the Jazz big man.
In three games against the Clippers this season, Gobert was utterly dominant. He averaged 14.3 points, 14.7 boards, and 1.7 blocks per night while shooting just under 60% from the field. With Serge Ibaka still dealing with back spasms, the options are limited for Los Angeles inside. Ty Lue could turn to DeMarcus Cousins since he is closer to the size of Gobert, but he didn't even play a single minute in the opening round.
The Clippers had the most success against the Mavs with a more small-ball lineup, with Batum instead of Zubac. But in this Jazz series, they won't have that option. Gobert is a force to be reckoned with and no matter who LA chooses to defend him, the Stifle Tower is going to have his way.
Jazz continues to light it up from deep
Utah basically lives and dies by the three-ball. The Jazz drained the most threes during the regular season of any team in the Association and was also fourth in three-pointer percentage (38.9).
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In their first-round meeting with Memphis, it was no different. The Jazz attempted more shots from deep than any other team in the playoffs while draining them at a 40.6% clip. This team is full of shooters, from Donovan Mitchell to Bojan Bogdanovic to Joe Ingles. It's a key part of their offense and after seeing how the Clippers defended the perimeter, Utah will be licking their chops.
Los Angeles allowed Dallas to shoot 39% from downtown and in the first three games alone, the Mavs shot almost 50%. While the Clips did improve in that area towards the conclusion of the series, the Jazz are a much better shooting team who can torch anyone due to their various options around the arc.
Kawhi steps up, but Jazz win in 7
Leonard almost always rises to the occasion when it matters most. In Games 6 and 7 vs. Dallas, Kawhi dropped 73 points. He even erupted for 45 on Friday to push the series the distance.
The Jazz might be good defensively, but they don't really have an answer for the Clippers star. His ability to score in a number of ways poses a real threat to Utah. We know this is the time of the year where Kawhi plays his best and it won't be any different in the Western Conference semifinals. The sheer strength and athleticism he possesses is going to cause serious problems for the Jazz, whether it's from mid-range or at the hoop.
However, Leonard hasn't received a lot of help in the postseason. Unfortunately, the Clippers will come up short as a result. The Jazz are severely underrated but they're truly a championship-caliber team, with Donovan Mitchell leading the way. Their star guard will show out and go toe to toe with Leonard on the offensive end.
While it will likely go the distance, the Jazz will hand the Clippers yet another disappointing exit on the big stage.
