James Harden delivered a triple-double, Terance Mann scored 19 points and the Los Angeles Clippers overpowered the visiting Utah Jazz 131-102 on Friday.
Harden finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists as the Clippers improved to 2-1 without Kawhi Leonard (knee) this week.
Los Angeles’ Norman Powell logged 18 points, Russell Westbrook added 17 and Ivica Zubac produced 12 points and 10 rebounds. Paul George scored 14 points in just 21 minutes.
The Clippers (49-28) won for the fifth time in their last six games and strengthened their hold on fourth place in the Western Conference with five regular-season games remaining. Four of those five will be at home.
Talen Horton-Tucker scored 17 points for the Jazz (29-48), who have lost 11 consecutive games and 14 of their last 15. Omer Yurtseven, Collin Sexton and Darius Bazley each scored 12 for Utah, which shot 38.5 percent from the floor.
Jazz leading scorer Lauri Markkanen (shoulder), leading rebounder John Collins (back) and leading assist man Jordan Clarkson (pelvis) all remained out, with Utah starting three rookies: Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George. The trio combined for 15 points.
The Clippers erased any drama early, taking a 17-2 lead a mere 3 1/2 minutes into the game. The advantage reached 24-4 with 7:02 left in the opening quarter.
Los Angeles opened the second quarter with a 25-point lead and pushed the margin past 30 points at 61-29 on a 3-pointer from Daniel Theis with 5:59 remaining in the first half.
The Clippers’ early domination was evident in their 68.3 percent shooting from the floor in the first half. The Jazz shot 28 percent over the first two quarters. Los Angeles hit 56 percent in the game, while Utah ended up at 38.5 percent.
After trailing by as many as 35 points early in the second half, the Jazz pulled within 99-79 with 1:02 left in the third quarter. However, Los Angeles pulled away again early in the fourth quarter as the bench closed out the victory.
Los Angeles improved to 2-1 against Utah this season with one more game between the teams scheduled for April 12.
–Field Level Media