February 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) Dunks during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Pictures After an impressive home victory against a Los Angeles team on Wednesday, Utah Jazz hopes to beat another LA squad on Thursday to meet a back-to-back set in Salt Lake City.
Two nights after being blown out with 19 points against the Lakers, Jazz replied with his own one-sided victory, 131-119 versus Lebron James, Luka Doncic & Co on Wednesday.
Utah will host the Clippers on Thursday in the team’s final match before the All-Star break.
The Thursday competition is the re -match of a Saturday game in Los Angeles. Ivica Zubac scored 13 out of 16 shots for 26 points and took 15 returns while Norman Powell also made 26 in the Clippers 130-110 victory over the jazz.
“I’ll do what it takes. I’ll take the time and see how the defense plays me,” Zubac said after the victory over Utah. “I haven’t seen many double teams lately, so it’s about cutting to the basket and doing the right readings.”
Like the jazz, the Clippers enter the Thursday game without rest. On Wednesday, La defeated the Morant-Less Memphis Grizzlies 128-114 before flying from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City.
Bogdan Bogdanovic debuted with Clippers after being acquired from Atlanta Hawks last week. He finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting and added two returns, one assist and steal in 18 minutes.
“He will be a shooter and gives me a runner who comes from the screens,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue about Bogdanovic after the trade. “He has great shooting and passing ability.”
Bogdanovic said: “Fans might see me as just a shooter, but I can create a lot and use my IQ. This is one of the best organizations in the league and I just look forward to. It’s a new team and a new opportunity. “
Utah’s Lauri Markkanen, after missing the Saturday match against Clippers, comes from a fantastic performance against the Lakers. He got 32 points and surpassed James, Doncic and the rest of the Lakers, in the surprising blowout victory. The result snapped a three-game losing line for Utah, which has only won 13 matches this season.
Jordan Clarkson, who netted 24 points versus Clippers last weekend, had 21 points, nine returns and seven assists against the Lakers. Walker Kessler, absent from the Saturday game, went 8-for-8 from the field for 16 points on Wednesday. He added eight returns, six blocked shots and two steals.
Utah shot 52.3 percent and pulled out 30 assists while dropping the Lakers.
“It’s a really good profit-back win,” said jazz coach Will Hardy. “I thought our overall effort, endurance, competitiveness and just the fly-around factor was different tonight than in the last game. …
“The players deserve all credit. They are all tough. They are all smart. They are all really good people. They are good teammates. They are respectful people who have humility and they take coaching. They take ownership of the things they need to do better. ”
The jazz will need another strong effort to register a second victory in a row, which they have managed to do just twice all season. They have not yet produced a winning line with three games.
Clippers have won two in a row after a three-game skid.
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