Leonard takes over late as Clippers defeat shorthanded Jazz 118-101

LOS ANGELES — Being down four starters to open up the first game of the new year was not ideal, but Utah utilized the opportunity to get some much-needed experience for its young players Thursday.

The short-handed Jazz gave the Clippers all they had but ultimately came up short in a 118-101 loss, despite season-high performances from two players.

Cody Williams had his best offensive output of the season — and career — tallying 18 points, while Kyle Anderson led Utah with 22 points and eight rebounds. It was Anderson's 12th career 20-point game and first since 2023.

"I thought KA played great," Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. "He's a really good ball handler, so you can put him in a bunch of different spots. It was a variety of things that made him successful. He's always been a smart, crafty player on the offensive side of the ball."

Though Utah made it a competitive game, the start had the look of what could have been a long night for Hardy's squad. Los Angeles scored 16 points before the Jazz could get a bucket to drop; and with the Clippers riding a five-game win streak, it would've been easy to write Utah off.

After trailing by 14 points to begin the second quarter, the Jazz settled in and took advantage of Los Angeles' struggles to find their own shot and cut the deficit to 3.

Anderson helped lead the way for the Jazz in the first half, totaling 16 points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. His veteran presence helped calm down the rest of the lineup to help come back from its early deficit.

Utah carried that momentum over into the second half of action, taking their first lead of the night within the opening minutes. Isaiah Collier scored 6 straight points as he put together a complete game with 13 points, nine assists and five rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard ate up the Jazz defense all night and turned the clock back for a vintage performance in the fourth quarter. The "Klaw" scored 20 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter and helped the Clippers extend its winning streak to six games.

Leonard's performance, mixed with not much left in the tank for the young Utah group, made it difficult to overcome the late deficit.

"It's proof that there's a lot of buy-in from our guys," Hardy said. "It's proof that they understand that it's a team game and that everybody brings something to the table. Each person has something that they can offer on a given night."

Collier and Brice Sensabaugh both turned in quality performances for the Jazz, with Collier collecting his third double-double of the season. The second-year guard from USC scored 16 points and dished out 10 assists, while also collecting six rebounds.

Sensabaugh poured in 20 points as he notched his fourth 20-point game of the season.

Utah will travel to San Francisco next to face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

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