James Harden scored 24 of his 41 points in the first quarter, Norman Powell added 29 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers broke a three-game losing streak with a 144-107 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday in Inglewood, Calif.
Harden outscored the Jazz 24-20 in the first quarter, shooting 6 of 9 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. He was also fouled twice while shooting 3-pointers in the opening quarter, making 7 of 8 free throws.
Ivica Zubac finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Amir Coffey added 16 points for Los Angeles, which improved to 10-6 at home. This was the highest-scoring game for the Clippers this season.
Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points, and Lauri Markkanen had 17 for the Jazz, who lost their third straight game. Utah has now lost 8 of its last 9 games and 12 of the last 14.
Collin Sexton scored 15 points, and John Collins added 14 points for the Jazz, who dropped to 3-10 on the road.
The Clippers quickly jumped to a 12-3 lead. Harden then scored his team’s next eight points, helping Los Angeles take a 20-7 lead just five minutes into the game. Harden also hit two 3-pointers in the final 34 seconds of the first quarter, giving the Clippers a 44-20 lead.
Los Angeles took an 81-47 lead into halftime, marking their highest point total in a first half since a game against the Washington Wizards on Dec. 1, 2019. The Clippers shot 63.4 percent in the first half and made 65 percent of their 3-point attempts (13 of 20).
Utah shot 39 percent from the field in the first half and 31.6 percent (6 of 19) from 3-point range.
The game was never close in the second half, with the Clippers shooting 59.8 percent for the game and 53.8 percent (21 of 39) from beyond the arc. The Jazz finished with a 45 percent shooting rate overall and 33.3 percent (13 of 39) from 3-point range.
