NBA Playoffs 2017: Clippers vs. Jazz Game 5 live stream: Watch online
By Connor Learn
Joe Johnson scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to help lead the Jazz to a 105-98 victory in Game 4. The series between the Jazz and Clippers is now tied at 2-2 going into Tuesday night.
Johnson scored 28 points in Game 4; he stepped up after Gordon Hayward departed the game with food poisoning. The Jazz were aided by the return of center Rudy Gobert as well, who played well in limited minutes. Both Hayward and Gobert are expected to play in Game 5 and Utah’s lineup should be intact for a full game for the first time in the series. They will be seeking to continue their momentum and take the series advantage.
Los Angeles struggled without Blake Griffin in Game 4. Chris Paul played outstanding, as usual, as he scored 27 points and fell a rebound short of a triple double. Jamal Crawford stepped up as well and added 26 points to the losing effort. They will be helped by the return of Austin Rivers in this game and he should help make their offense more dynamic. Despite Rivers’ return, Los Angeles obviously will be missing their star forward with Griffin’s continued absence. But Chris Paul has been the best player in this series so far, and him and the Clippers absolutely shouldn’t be counted out.
Projected starting lineups
Clippers: Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Marreese Speights and DeAndre Jordan.
Jazz: George Hill, Joe Ingles, Gordon Hayward, Boris Diaw and Rudy Gobert