LOS ANGELES — On Nov. 3, the Utah Jazz fell to the Kawhi Leonard-led Los Angeles Clippers, 105-94, as Leonard feasted to the tune of 30 points. On Saturday, the Jazz will again be in L.A. looking for some redemption, and they’ll need a solid outing from every man on the roster.
In that last meeting, the Clippers bench, known for its depth and scoring prowess, helped in the effort, all the while one of the Jazz’s starting five was rendered nearly invisible.
Royce O’Neale was the only starter that came out of the game with a negative plus-minus at -11. He took zero free throws, scored zero points, had just two assists, and finished the night with five fouls.
“No matter who I’m guarding I’m going to take on the challenge.” — Utah Jazz’s Royce O’Neale
Though O’Neale is not known for his high scoring nights — averaging 6.4 points per game this season — he finds ways to positively impact the game, most notably on the defensive end. But, the Clippers can be a tougher challenge than most with the fire power they have and their ability to switch.
O’Neale opened the game on Leonard and vice versa, a matchup that O’Neale takes pride in.
“No matter who I’m guarding I’m going to take on the challenge,” he said after practice Friday.
Both players helped and switched onto others throughout the last game but if the Clippers were looking to eliminate one of the Jazz threats completely then their plan worked and Leonard was at least partly responsible.
When it comes to Leonard, named The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year on Friday, defending him does not mean stopping him. He’s one of the few players in the league that will always be able to find ways to score. It’s more about limiting his impact and making him work hard for everything.
O’Neale is not the first player tasked with defending Leonard, whose offensive game has suffered, and he won’t be the last. Of course, the Jazz are hoping they can find a way to keep O’Neale productive without sacrificing anything on the defensive end.
The Jazz aren’t a team that would admit that a tough defensive matchup could make an offense suffer. They’ve branded themselves as a defense-first team that relies on defensive effort to energize the offense.
“We use our defense to execute on the offensive end,” O’Neale said. “Getting stops and rebounds and then getting easy baskets.”
Sometimes those baskets don’t come so easy, which requires even more attention to detail on defense. O’Neale said better communication and being more alert are the keys for the Jazz heading into their third contest against the Clippers this season.
Coming off a tough-fought win against Portland on Thursday, the Jazz will be looking to keep things on an upward trajectory while getting a win against one of the tougher teams in the league.
As for the Clippers, they’ve been resting since their Christmas Day win over the Los Angeles Lakers and will certainly be looking to shut down the Jazz on Saturday night at the Staples Center.