Clippers-Jazz series a matchup of different styles

The #2 seeded San Antonio Spurs host the grinding #7 Memphis Grizzlies while the #4 seeded Los Angeles Clippers host the #5 seeded Utah Jazz.

In three games against the Clippers (he missed one with injury) this season, Hayward was unsafe in only one (a 27-point effort in a 114-108 win in March 13). Let's take a look at some different factors that may determine who will win this series.

Having barely squeaked out home court advantage over the Jazz, the Clippers must push past their recent Clippers playoffs' slumps and not allow the demons of old to take over. Utah is the NBA's best defensive team and are tied for sixth in the National Basketball Association in points in the paint, while L.A.is also a solid defensive team and are not far behind the Jazz in points in the paint, ranking eighth.

Despite their recent failures, Doc Rivers insists he never goes into a new playoff series thinking about the past.

Jazz: Utah had its ideal starting lineup of Hayward, Rodney Hood, Hill, Gobert and Derrick Favors all available for the first time since March 5, though Hood and Favors didn't start.

Next up is the playoffs, where the LA Clippers will be waiting. So when they turned the ball over just six times, it was another good night for them. And it's not like the Clippers had a more balanced scoring act.

Gordon Hayward scored 14 and the Utah Jazz held on for a 101-97 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Per Spurs PR's Jordan Howenstine, Kawhi Leonard scored in double figures in every game he played in this season. But in the 14 games that they have played together, the Jazz won 12 of them.

The Clippers were 6-8 when Paul sat with a thumb injury January 19 to February 23. And boy does he know it. Los Angeles hasn't won a series in less than 7 games in the Chris Paul era, so I'm just playing the odds. If the Clips can not make magic happen this season, there is a high chance the team is blown up for a rebuild.

Now, however, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert and the rest of Utah's young core will be in for the biggest challenge that they have faced yet - a first-round match-up against the formidable Los Angeles Clippers.

The fact is that the stakes are higher for the Clippers.

"My guys were down after the game, they weren't happy with it, but they moved past it".

There are three teams - Indiana, Chicago, and Miami - vying for the last two spots in the East field.

The Clippers' backs are against the wall, making them very unsafe.

Utah went on another run midway through the third quarter, using a bucket by Hayward, a three-point play by Gobert and a three from the wing by Ingles to build a 16-point lead (their largest of the game).

Both men are defensive powerhouses who will make scoring in the paint extremely hard for their opponents.

All the other seeds and matchups out West for the first round are set: No. 1 Golden State vs.

The Jazz don't often get to savor big wins, and when they do it's against a top-tier team playing at roughly 60 percent.

Over the course of a nine-year career, Utah point guard George Hill has become one of the most admired floor generals in the game. The flawless mix of young and old, as well as defensive and offensive.

On the surface, it seems like the Clippers have things going their way as they embark on their latest postseason journey.