It marks the second straight season that Griffin's playoffs have been cut short due to injury. They can still win this series, and this article examines that reality.
The Clippers appeared on their way to a commanding 3-1 series lead when they were up 87-80 in the final quarter. It is a rowdy crowd and a hard fought game like the previous two, and then in one single moment, the series turned.
Through the first half, Crawford looked like the best of the pre-retirement set, as he lit up for 15 points in 15 minutes.
Griffin suffered an injury to the plantar plate of his right big toe in the first half Friday and did not return to the game.
Which, as you can see, is the shoe Johnson is wearing.
Having lost game three on their home court in Salt Lake City it was crucial that Utah took game four before the series switches back to Los Angeles. And we told him that. According to National Basketball Association odds and betting at William Hill the answer is yes, and here are the reasons why. They blew a 2-0 lead (after Griffin sprained an ankle) in 2013, dealt with the Donald Sterling ban saga in 2014, were up 3-1 to Houston before falling in 2015 and saw Griffin and Chris Paul sidelined at playoff time previous year.
"These are all firsts for this group on some level, and I think the challenge for our guys is just literally, if you can kind of conceptually put what happened before behind you and literally prepare for the next game and whatever adjustments, just be completely focused on that", he said. Paul will still put the team on his back and nearly will them to victory.
Yep, this series featured the first buzzer-beater of the 2017 National Basketball Association playoffs, a prop we would've been all over had it existed.
Rivers' stat line of 12 points on 44.2 percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent from deep along with 2.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists isn't exactly mind-blowing, but he is an underrated defender, a quick and solid finisher and brings a lot of edge to this Clippers team.
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Jaime Garcia takes the ball for the Braves in this spot and he will be looking to build on what has been a rocky start. Braves: LHP Jaime Garcia (0-1) is 2-1 with a 2.52 ERA in six career starts against the Padres .
The former No. 10 pick of the 2012 draft has played well against the Jazz this season. It has opened the door for the Clippers to get plenty of second-chance baskets and make it tough for the Jazz to get stops at critical junctures. If the Jazz go on to win this series, they will go down as series-changing triples.
This one is short and sweet but still important.
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers expect Austin Rivers to play Tuesday after missing the team's past 11 games with a hamstring injury.
The Clippers made moves in the offseason to improve their bench. Johnson was courted by several teams, the Clippers included, but ultimately chose a young, growing Utah team where his experience and on-demand scoring would be vital.
The Clips face the Jazz again on Sunday.
The two teams were close competitively throughout the year. The forward left with 8:42 left in the second quarter and did not return.
Rivers will likely look for more production from Paul Pierce and Luc Mbah a Moute, who are averaging a little over 10 points combined this postseason. "He has an awesome will", coach Doc Rivers told reporters.
This reason is still a bit of a question mark. And in Johnson's case, not merely getting run, but keeping a team afloat: he's been pouring in 19.3 points a game for the Jazz, including a buzzer-beater to steal Game 1. It is unclear if he will suit up at all in this series, but if he does, it would be a big boost to the LA Clippers. Rivers showed the patience and attacking style needed to continue giving them problems. In Game 2, as they headed to Utah's turf, there was a similar result for the Clippers. There was concern he was done for the season when he went down.
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