The Los Angeles Clippers took down the Utah Jazz with ease 132-106 to win Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday night. The victory marked the Clippers’ first of the series. They made an interesting tactical adjustment that seemed to help them in the win.
Ben Dowsett noted that the Clippers ran just 16 ball screens involving Rudy Gobert during the entire game. That is a very low number for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Big tactical development from Game 3 IMO:
Per tracking data via source, the Clippers ran just *16* ball screens involving Rudy Gobert for the entire game. They ran 40 involving other players.
It's obvious they're trying to focus their offense away from him.
— Ben Dowsett (@Ben_Dowsett) June 13, 2021
Gobert is typically involved in many more ball screens. But the Clippers made a point to avoid going after the Jazz center. It worked.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard combined to take 48 of the team’s 89 field goals. Leonard made 14 of his 24 shots, while George made 12 of his 24. The team also was hot from 3-point range, going 19/36 (52.8 percent).
Game 4 of the series is on Monday, and things look completely different after how Game 3 went.
