Clippers outlast Jazz, head into All-Star break with overtime win
02/14/2025 12:29 AM
SALT LAKE CITY — With big nights from two stars and an impressive debut from the newest addition to their roster, the Clippers will take some momentum into the All-Star break.
Norman Powell scored a season-high 41 points, James Harden added 32 and Ben Simmons was impressive off the bench to lift the Clippers to a 120-116 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Powell, who played 46 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back, scored nine of the Clippers' 12 OT points as they go into the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak.
Harden also had 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocked shots in a game-high 49 minutes as the Clippers clawed their way back from a 20-point deficit and beat Utah for the second time in three games. Simmons, signed after being bought out by Brooklyn, had 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in 27 minutes in his Clippers debut.
The Clippers outscored Utah 22-13 in the fourth quarter and never trailed in overtime, but they did not pull away from the Jazz until the final minute. Powell made a pair of free throws for a 115-110 lead, but the Jazz quickly pulled back within one after an Isaiah Collier basket and a steal and dunk by Svi Mykhailiuk with 1:34 left.
Powell answered with back-to-back baskets for a 119-114 lead with 59 seconds remaining.
Rookie Kyle Filipowski had a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who were also playing for the second night in a row. Lauri Markkanen also scored 20 points and John Collins chipped in 17. Collier contributed 16 points, eight assists and four steals but committed seven turnovers.
The Jazz shot 9 for 14 from 3-point range in the first quarter to open a 33-26 lead. Utah, which made 13 3-pointers in the first half, built a 50-30 lead five minutes into the second quarter, but the Clippers rallied before halftime after scoring on eight straight possessions, including six consecutive baskets. Powell scored three baskets himself, the final one trimming Utah's lead to 57-52.
The Clippers opened the fourth quarter on a 14-4 run, with Simmons igniting the charge with the first four points.
The Clippers went ahead 103-100 when Powell tipped in a layup and Harden hit a step-back 3-pointer.
Markkanen scored two consecutive baskets for a 106-105 Jazz lead, then Harden tied it with a free throw and rebounded his own missed foul shot, leading to Simmons' go-ahead layup.
Collier, a rookie, knotted the score at 108-108 by hitting two free throws with 45.3 seconds left, and neither team could convert on late 3-point attempts, setting up the extra session.
Utah coughed up 26 turnovers, leading to 20 points for the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard sat out for the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back set.
UP NEXT
The Clippers begin a four-game Midwestern road trip after the All-Star break, on Feb. 20 at Milwaukee.
