Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Clippers Predictions and Preview for 6/18/2021

Utah takes on L.A. Clippers on 6/18/2021 at 10:00PM.

The Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers face off in an important game for both teams. Utah has a record of 52-20 this regular season. L.A. Clippers is 47-25 this regular season. Both have players to meet and know.

Utah Team Defense Preview

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They have an elite level defense and fans may not appreciate it because they get so fixated on scoring, dunks, and drama, but this defense is as good as it gets right now. A defensive effiency rating of 108.3 would certainly justify such praise. Now that we know what the overall defense looks like, it is time to understand why this defense is the way it is.
They are doing a great job forcing bad shots from opposing offenses, they are among the leaders in the NBA. Their defensive efforts at keeping offenses from getting to the rim should not go unnoticed. There is an inconsistent effort to keeping opponents from scoring at the rim though.
Sometimes defenses are very focused on forcing bad shots and getting the defensive rebound. Is there anything to support this? It may be just possible that this is a passive defense.

Utah Team Offense Preview

Getting excited about an offensive efficiency of 117.6 is going a bit overboard with an above-average offense. And nothing more than that. Now that we know what the overall offense looks like, it is time to understand why this offense is the way it is. This is a slower than average team when it comes to the pace of play.
Their True Shooting Percentage is .597 which considered to be above average. Their Effective Field Goal Rate is .563, which considered to be above average. They attempt .488 of their shots from three point range. They lean on the three point shot quite a bit. They made .389 of their shots from three point range. They are an above average three point shooting team. They made .799 of their shots from the Free Throw Line. They are a slightly above average Free Throw shooting team.
They rebounded 24.5% of their missed shots. This is an above average offensive rebounding team.

L.A. Clippers Team Defense Preview

Their defensive efficiency is 111.2, which means they have an above average defense relative to other teams in the NBA. This analysis would be woefully incomplete without going into further detail aside from just a defensive efficiency rating.
This is a decent defensive team that is able to force some bad shots. Their defensive efforts at keeping offenses from getting to the rim should not go unnoticed. The defensive lapses yielding dunks, layups, and tip-ins are prevalent.
This is not a team that excels at forcing live ball turnovers. Either the personnel or strategy is not there.

L.A. Clippers Team Offense Preview

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Getting excited about an offensive efficiency of 117.6 is going a bit overboard with an above-average offense. And nothing more than that. This analysis would be woefully incomplete without going into further detail aside from just an offensive efficiency rating. This is a team that likes to play grinders. They want to execute in half court and frustrate opponents in their offensive half court situations.
Their True Shooting Percentage is .599 which considered to be above average. Their Effective Field Goal Rate is .564, which considered to be above average. They attempt .400 of their shots from three point range. They fall right around average in the NBA. They made .411 of their shots from three point range. They are a strong three point shooting team. They made .839 of their shots from the Free Throw Line. They are a strong Free Throw shooting team.
They successfully retrieved 22.7% of their missed shots. They are a slightly above average rebounding team.

The Utah Roster

The Players to Watch for Utah
Royce O'Neale 6-4 226 SF
He is a general rotation player on this team. Nothing too special thus far.
He does not attack the rim as much as he should. Three point shooting is an important part of his game. In man-to-man defense, playing fairly standard defense against him on the perimeter is advisable. He is a bit more of a jump shot oriented player so he does not get fouled as much. He is a generally average Free Throw Shooter.
He is a below-average distributor, but this may have a lot to do with offensive role.He does not turn it over more or less than anyone. He could be a better offensive rebounder, but he has not put it together yet this season.
Bojan Bogdanović 6-7 226 SF
He is an important offensive option on this team this season.
He does not attack the rim as much as he should. There is nothing special regarding his shot selection on the perimeter. In man-to-man defense, playing fairly standard defense against him on the perimeter is advisable. He does not do the things he needs to do to get himself to the Free Throw Line consistently. He is a generally average Free Throw Shooter.
He is a below-average distributor, but this may have a lot to do with offensive role.He has done a better job than most protecting the basketball.He could be a better offensive rebounder, but he has not put it together yet this season.
Rudy Gobert 7-1 258 C
He is a positive impactful starter who makes an impact for this team.
He is one of the leaders in the NBA in his ability to get scoring attempts at the rim. Shooting three point shots is either a rarity or it never happens, he gets his work done in the paint. He either does not take three point shots or he does not make them either. Opponents are probably quite aware. He draws fouls and takes quite a bit of Free Throws. Fouling him is probably better than letting him get two points on a drive or post-up. The Free Throw Line is an adventure for him and everyone is there to watch.
He is a below-average distributor, but this may have a lot to do with offensive role.He does not turn it over more or less than anyone. He makes an effort to get offensive rebounds, but he is not a leader in this metric.

The L.A. Clippers Roster

The Players to Watch for L.A. Clippers
Nicolas Batum 6-8 230 SF
He is a general rotation player on this team. Nothing too special thus far.
He does not attack the rim as much as he should. Three point shooting is an important part of his game. In man-to-man defense, playing fairly standard defense against him on the perimeter is advisable. He is a bit more of a jump shot oriented player so he does not get fouled as much. He is a generally average Free Throw Shooter.
He is a below-average distributor, but this may have a lot to do with offensive role.He has done a better job than most protecting the basketball.He could be a better offensive rebounder, but he has not put it together yet this season.
Paul George 6-8 220 SF
He is a positive impactful starter who makes an impact for this team.
He does not attack the rim as much as he should. There is nothing special regarding his shot selection on the perimeter. In man-to-man defense, playing fairly standard defense against him on the perimeter is advisable. He is a bit more of a jump shot oriented player so he does not get fouled as much. He is a generally average Free Throw Shooter.
He sets up his teammates in an above-average fashion. He does not turn it over more or less than anyone. He could be a better offensive rebounder, but he has not put it together yet this season.
Kawhi Leonard 6-7 225 SF
He is a candidate for the All-Star Game this season.
He does not attack the rim as much as he should. He is not considered a frequent three point shooter. In man-to-man defense, playing fairly standard defense against him on the perimeter is advisable. He does not do the things he needs to do to get himself to the Free Throw Line consistently. He is a generally average Free Throw Shooter.
He sets up his teammates in an above-average fashion. He has done a better job than most protecting the basketball.He could be a better offensive rebounder, but he has not put it together yet this season.

Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, Picks, and Odds

Prediction: Utah Jazz 110 Los Angeles Clippers 112
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Moneyline Pick: L.A. Clippers +105 Intertops
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