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- The Jazz lost 120-116 to Clippers in overtime, despite leading into the fourth.
- Turnovers were a major issue for Jazz, with 26 compared to the Clippers' 12.
- Rookie Kyle Filipowski scored a career-high 20 points; Jazz now on All-Star break.
SALT LAKE CITY — Will Hardy didn't mince words about his team's chances of coming out of Thursday's home game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a win.
"The truth is that the math was way against us in that game," Hardy said of Utah's 120-116 overtime loss at the Delta Center.
He pointed to the disparity in shots taken from the field (94-76) and the free-throw line (34-26), while also lamenting a recurring theme of turnovers from this year's Jazz squad, of which Utah had 26 to just 12 for the Clippers.
"Turnovers killed us tonight," Hardy said. "We had a hard time delivering the ball against the (defensive) switch, but I can't knock the team's effort. I think the guys are bought in, competing and sticking together. You know, that's a really good team ... and I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win."
The Jazz made nine of its first 14 3-pointers to take a 33-26 lead and maintained the advantage into the fourth quarter, which it began with a 95-86 lead.
The Clippers' veteran backcourt of James Harden and Norman Powell came alive in the final period, however, leading to a 22-13 advantage over the last 12 minutes. Keyonte George had a chance to win it for the Jazz in the final seconds — tying the game at 108-108 — but came up short on the attempt from distance.
LA outscored Utah 11-8 in overtime to move to 31-23 on the season and to drop the Jazz to 13-41. Powell led all scorers with 41 points, while Harden put together a near triple-double effort with 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Norm Powell and James Harden take care of business in Utah combining for 73 PTS in the @LAClippers OT win!
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2025
Powell: 41 PTS | 5 3PM | 50.0 FG%
Harden: 32 PTS | 10 REB | 7 AST pic.twitter.com/waxkm7xCu6
"They had guys kind of rolling," George said of the loss. "Down the stretch, we've got to get stops. When we get stops, we play faster. I just think the late-game turnovers kind of hurt us a little bit."
Starting point guard Isaiah Collier led the team with seven turnovers, followed by George with four. The bright spot on the night was rookie Kyle Filipowski, who reached a new career-high with 20 points and also added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
The Jazz have an eight-day break for the NBA All-Star weekend before the next regular season game on Friday, Feb. 21 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. George is the lone Utah representative headed to San Francisco for All-Star weekend, where he'll compete for Chris Mullin's Rising Stars squad.
The winner of the Rising Stars mini-tournament will compete against the NBA All-Stars in the All-Star Game mini-tournament on Sunday, Feb. 16.
