Los Angeles vs. Utah is already shaping up to be a great series. It’s already more competitive than the Phoenix vs. Denver series which ended in a sweep. The Jazz currently lead the series two games to one, but the Clippers are far from out of it in this series. Keep in mind, this is the same Clippers squad who came back from a two-game hole in the first round against the Dallas Mavericks. Yes, the Jazz have the number one seed in the Western Conference for a reason, but the Clippers have proven they can overcome adversity this season. With that being said, we need to look at the matchup to watch in this Los Angeles vs. Utah Semifinals. The answer may surprise you.
Los Angeles vs. Utah: Matchup to Watch
Los Angeles vs. Utah: The Dual Between the Stars
Donovan Mitchell and Kawhi Leonard may not see much time actually matched up with each other, but they still have traded buckets at times this series. The Clippers’ defensive game plan seems to be to throw Kawhi at Mitchell for a half, then they’ll someone else onto the Jazz All-Star so that Leonard is fresh in the second half and not exerting so much energy on defense. At least for the last game, it seemed to work. Mitchell will get his numbers, but Kawhi can at least put pressure on him. How do they fare when matched with each other though?
Mitchell’s Numbers
Donovan Mitchell had himself an All-Star season. He averaged 26.4 points, a career-high 5.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds per game, and an effective field goal percentage of 52.0 percent. During these playoffs, Mitchell is tallying 32.3 points on 47.9 percent shooting from the field to go along with a three-point shooting percentage of 43.7 percent, and 5.1 assists per game.
In this series, Mitchell has mainly guarded Reggie Jackson. He has only guarded Kawhi for a total of two minutes and 19 seconds in which Leonard has scored four points. This makes sense since they both play different positions (Kawhi is a wing whereas Mitchell is a two-guard.) Mitchell has also seen time guarding L.A.’s second star, Paul George, for about four minutes, and has given up three points to PG. However, during the regular season, George scored no points when defended by Mitchell. Mitchell has never been a feared defender, but he has shown flashes of improvement on that side of the floor.
Kawhi’s Numbers
We already know what Kawhi Leonard is capable of as a superstar. He had another terrific season averaging 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, a career-high 5.2 assists per game, and an effective field goal percentage of 56.8 percent. Throughout the postseason, he is putting up numbers of 30.3 points, 4.5 assists, and is shooting 58.2 percent from the field to couple with 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Kawhi has shown what he is capable of defensively. When guarding Mitchell this series, he has allowed the Jazz star to score just 10 points in three games played. Not to mention, not a single player on Utah (besides Mitchell) has been successful in scoring when matched up with the Klaw as no other player on the team has reached double figures yet. This is hardly surprising considering Kawhi is a former Defensive Player of the Year and is averaging just above two steals per game in these playoffs. With all of this in mind, the Mitchell vs. Kawhi battle is the definite matchup to watch in this Los Angeles vs. Utah series.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images