The Utah Jazz opened the second quarter on a 15-2 run and rode a hot-shooting first half to a 58-56 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers at halftime Wednesday night at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City. The Clippers have lost 16 straight games in Utah, and 42 of their last 43 road games to the Jazz. Utah shot 61.4% (27 for 44) in the opening half.
Al Jefferson, who missed the last game with an inflamed right ankle, returned to the lineup for Utah Wednesday night and had 18 points and five rebounds in the first half. Jefferson made nine of 11 shots from the field. Derrick Favors scored 10 points off the bench for the Jazz.
Chris Paul scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and had eight assists for the Clippers, who shot 53.3% (24 for 45) in the first half. Blake Griffin had 16 points and seven rebounds in the opening 24 minutes.
The Clippers got off to a fantastic start on the offensive end, as their first five field goals were slam dunks, all assisted by Paul. Unfortunately on the defensive end, center DeAndre Jordan picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the game, and was limited to just 11 minutes in the first half.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Clippers lead 32-29 after 12 minutes before Utah made their run. The Jazz led by as many as 10 points in the first half.
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