Los Angeles, CA – It's been an unprecedented season thus far for the normally-lowly Los Angeles Clippers franchise.
And the Clippers keep establishing new milestones.
Caron Butler had 21 points and the Clippers tallied their first season sweep of the Utah Jazz in 34 years and reached 40 wins the quickest in franchise history with a 107-94 triumph.
Blake Griffin totaled 18 points and seven rebounds, Lamar Odom chipped in 18 points and Chris Paul added 11 points, seven assists and seven boards for the Clippers, who hadn't swept the season series against the Jazz since 1978-79.
Gordon Hayward finished with 23 points and eight rebounds for Utah, which had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Jazz were 1-of-15 from beyond the arc.
"They're a good team, we had opportunities, give them credit," Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin said. "We didn't make the baskets we needed."
Los Angeles led 25-23 after a quarter of play and took a 51-49 advantage into the break, but pulled away in the third after outscoring Utah 36-20 in the frame.
The Clippers netted the first 14 points of the third to seize control. Griffin, who had 10 points during the surge, capped it with back-to-back 3-point plays for a 65-49 margin.
"We picked up our defensive intensity," Paul said of the burst. "When we get stops, we're dangerous in the open court."
Los Angeles led by as many as 21 before taking an 87-69 cushion into the fourth, and Utah never cut the deficit below 12 in the final frame.
Game Notes
DeAndre Jordan had seven points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles ... Paul Millsap registered 19 points and Al Jefferson added 16 for Utah ... The Clippers shot 51.3 percent (40-of-78) from the field ... The Clippers won all four meetings with Utah this season and have captured six in a row against the Jazz.
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