Reserve Kenneth Lofton Jr. set season highs with 27 points and eight assists and matched his season best with nine rebounds while leading the Utah Jazz to a 110-109 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Keyonte George added 14 points to help lift the Jazz (31-50) to their second consecutive win in as many nights after enduring a 13-game losing streak.
Bones Hyland missed a game-winning 3-point attempt in the final seconds but finished with a team-high 20 points for the Clippers (51-30).
The outcome didn’t affect the Clippers in the standings. They clinched the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs thanks to the Dallas Mavericks’ 107-89 loss to the Detroit Pistons earlier in the night.
Los Angeles will have home-court advantage against Dallas in the first round of the upcoming postseason.
Both teams relied heavily on reserves. Most of the Clippers’ starters only played limited minutes in the first quarter, while the majority of the Jazz’s main crew were sidelined yet again.
Fans were given an entertaining game of basketball nonetheless, with each team rallying out of double-digit deficits en route to a down-to-the-wire finish.
Hyland burst down court for a layup to put the Clippers up by one with 3:11 remaining.
The Jazz snagged the lead back with a 6-0 run, including a George 3-pointer followed by a strong inside bucket and free throw by Lofton.
Daniel Theis and Brandon Boston Jr. helped Los Angeles pull within one with back-to-back buckets in the final minutes. The Clippers then had a chance to go ahead in the final seconds but couldn’t convert.
Amir Coffey scored 16 points for the Clippers and Theis finished with 14 points and seven boards. Paul George and Ivica Zubac each scored 10 in their first-quarter action, while Boston also netted 10 points.
Johnny Juzang, Darius Bazley and Talen Horton-Tucker each scored 12 for the Jazz, while Luka Samanic chipped in with 11.
The Jazz finish the regular season Sunday at Golden State, while the Clippers conclude with a home game vs. Houston.
–Field Level Media
