Clippers/Jazz Game Notes

The LA Clippers and the Utah Jazz face off for the second time in five days, this time with a healthy Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles.

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The Clippers get an immediate change for revenge against the Jazz tonight at 6:00 p.m. in Staples Center. Here's what to watch for: 

• Who does Kawhi Leonard guard? 
  The Clippers haven't put Leonard on the opposing team's best individual player to start the season, preferring to let him roam and pounce on help defense. That figures to be the case once again, as he'll start on Royce O'Neale while Landry Shamet and Patrick Beverley handle the backcourt of Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell. Conley and Mitchell went off in the last meeting, which was Conley's first offensive outburst during his Jazz career. Ideally, Leonard's presence - if not his direct on-ball defense - provides some counter to that this time around. 
  
  
• On the other end, who guards Kawhi?
  Bojan Bogdanovic was the primary wing defender with the Indiana Pacers, and had impressive stretches on LeBron James during the Eastern Conference playoffs.  He could draw the assignment, but he has a more substantial offensive load than O'Neale. Leonard played Indiana once last year, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He did not play against Utah during the 2018-19 regular season, so this will be his first outing against the Jazz since December 2017. 
  
  
• JaMychal Green at the five 
  Green has been off to a hot shooting start, making 15-of-26 threes to start the season, including 5-of-6 3-pointers in the loss to Utah. He's played primarily at power forward alongside Montrezl Harrell (the Clippers like his shooting to space the floor for the Lou Williams/Harrell pick-and-roll), but he got a significant turn at center against the Jazz. It's something Doc Rivers might turn to again. 
  
  "Where he’s really effective is [Wednesday], obviously, we moved him to the five, and when you have a drop five like a Gobert and you bring in a shooting five like JaMychal it pays dividends for us for sure," Rivers said.