The Utah Jazz are the best team in the NBA right now. Even with Mike Conley having missed multiple games the winning continues. The Los Angeles Clippers get another crack at the Jazz tonight in LA. Round 1 of this matchup was a very short-handed Clippers team and a partially short-handed Jazz team. While it took until the fourth quarter, the Jazz eventually figured things out and, you guessed it, won by double digits.

A win tonight would give the Jazz a shocking 3 game cushion for 1st in the West of the Los Angeles Lakers. And with Anthony Davis expected to be out until at least the All Star break, the Jazz have a huge opportunity to extend that lead even further. Can they take advantage of that tonight?

Mike Conley was upgraded to questionable before last game but ultimately missed the contest. He’s once again questionable for this one, but maybe enough time has passed that his hamstring is ready to go. The Jazz otherwise have a clean bill of health.

The Clippers injury report is somewhat lengthy. Luke Kennard joined the questionable list due to sore right knee. Paul George with his bone edema is still questionable, as is Nicolas Batum from a concussion and Kawhi Leonard from a leg contusion. We’ll see who ends up dressing or not soon enough.

Game Info

When: Friday, February 19th, 2021 • 8:00 PM MT

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

TV: ESPN

Radio: 97.5 FM | 1280 AM The Zone

What to watch for

Coaching Chess Match

I have a love hate relationship when you have to play a team twice in a row. Basically it depends on if my favorite team wins or loses. Seeing a team twice in such a short amount of time allows for adjustments and counters similar to what we would see in a playoff series. Honestly, I have no idea if Tyrone Lue is a good coach or not. I do know that Quin Snyder is a great coach. I’d like to believe the Jazz have the upper hand here, but I feel like the losing team usually has more adjustments that can be made.

Will Utah’s 3 Point Shooting Return?

Can the Jazz win if their 3 pointers aren’t falling? That was a common take as the Jazz soared to the top of the standings. Well, we know what the answer to that question is at this point. The Jazz haven’t shot over 40% from 3 in a game since they played the Charlotte Hornets on February 5th. That’s 6 straight games and has actually brought their season average down to 39.3%. They really need the shots to start falling again if they want to go 67-5 this season.