Utah @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 3, 2019 ) Utah 94, L.A. Clippers 105

The Los Angeles Clippers traded losses and wins over their last six games but stepped up when it counted with a 111-106 triumph over the rival Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. The Clippers will try to keep that intensity and make it back-to-back wins when they host the Utah Jazz on Saturday.

Wednesday's win, in which the Clippers recovered from a 15-point, second-half deficit and knocked off their biggest rivals, felt like a statement to everyone expect the people in the Los Angeles locker room. "It does nothing," Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard told reporters. "It's one game out of a season. Whoever won this game was not going to win the L.A. championship or anything. Both teams got their eyes on the biggest prize." The Jazz are trying to get to the same level as the LA teams and compete for the Western Conference crown and are winners of six of their last seven after knocking off Portland 121-115 on Thursday. "Our team's coming together," Utah guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters. "You want it to happen fast, but sometimes it takes a little more time. I think we're finding it. We should have won this game not by six, but a lot more. We should've put them away, but they're a great team and hit shots. We'll go back and watch the film and work on it."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Utah), FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (19-12): Mitchell scored 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting and added seven assists in Thursday's win and is happy with the progress of his team. "We're picking it up defensively," Mitchell told reporters. "We struggled in that area a little bit. Offensively, we're moving the ball. We're all clicking. We know where to be. That comes with time. We've had some new guys come to the team, and we're trying to figure it out." One of those new players is veteran guard Jordan Clarkson, who arrived via trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier in the week and scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench while making his team debut on Thursday.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (23-10): Leonard collected 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting, 12 rebounds and five assists in the win over the Lakers but did his best work on the defensive end against LeBron James in the second half, though he was typically understated about the individual effort. "It's not about you guarding a player one-on-one," Leonard told reporters. "We've been losing a lot of games from team defense, not even one-on-one matchups. So just for me, it feels like we need more team defense other than you over emphasizing me guarding LeBron or their best player. It's more about the team." Leonard is helping the Clippers fight through a shooting slump from fellow All-Star Paul George, who is shooting 32.6 percent over the last three games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Jazz PG Mike Conley sat out nine of the last 10 games and expected to be out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury.

2. Clippers SG Lou Williams matched a season low with six points on 1-of-6 shooting on Wednesday.

3. Mitchell scored 36 points at Los Angeles on Nov. 3, but Utah fell 105-94.

PREDICTION: Clippers 108, Jazz 106