Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell goes up for a dunk as Los Angeles Clippers forward JaMychal Green defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. Mark J. Terrill, AP
Ryan McDonald
By Ryan McDonald

SALT LAKE CITY — The caveat behind the Utah Jazz’s recent success is that it has come against some of the weaker teams in the NBA.

On Saturday, the Jazz beat a team ahead of them in the standings, as they scored the night’s final 11 points to beat the LA Clippers 120-107.

It is the seventh win in their last eight games and they moved to 20-12 on the season.

Donovan Mitchell scored six of those last 11 points and finished with a game-high 30, 18 of which came in the second half. The Clippers’ star duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George combined to shoot just 12 of 44 from the field.

Utah connected on 17 of its 35 3-point attempts compared to just 12 of 40 for LA, which helped mitigate the fact that the Clippers grabbed 16 offensive rebounds to just six for the Jazz.

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, front left, shoots as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, behind Leonard, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson gestures after scoring during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, left, shoots as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, right, tries to drive by Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, right, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, shoots as Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) shoots as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, and guard Patrick Beverley defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac celebrates during the first half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, center, gestures after scoring during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell goes up for a dunk as Los Angeles Clippers forward JaMychal Green defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson, left, shoots as Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers yells to referees during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, defends against Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, shoots as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George, left, shoots as Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Actor Martin Lawrence watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George drives toward the basket during the second half of the team's NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Los Angeles. The Jazz won 120-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) | Mark J. Terrill, AP

Down by 10 after the first quarter as the second unit struggled again, Utah charged back to within two at halftime with 39 points in the second frame. Playing in his second game with the Jazz, Jordan Clarkson was excellent in that quarter, as he scored 11 of his 13 first-half points. 

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He finished with 19 on 7 of 13 shooting, which made him Utah’s second-leading scorer on the night.

The Jazz took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter and led by that margin inside of seven minutes to play. The two sides battled over the next 3:30, with Utah holding on to a 109-107 edge at that point.

LA didn’t score again as the Jazz did an excellent job defending Leonard and George down the stretch. Only Leonard scored in the fourth quarter, and he had just two points. In the frame, Utah outscored the Clippers 27-15.

Next up for the Jazz is a home game Monday night against the Detroit Pistons.

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