LA Clippers won Game 5 because of their effort on the boards

Rebounding has been a big advantage for the Clippers in this series against the Jazz and in Game 5, they outrebounded Utah again 39-36 and 8-7 on the offensive glass. The Jazz ranked first in the NBA during the regular season in total rebounding and the Clippers ranked 17th, but for some reason, the Clippers are out muscling Utah in the paint in this series. 

READ MORE: NBA Playoffs: Paul George masterfully took over No. 1 role to lead Clippers in Game 5 win

In Game 5 specifically, a lot of what the Clippers have been doing on offensive revolves around targeting Rudy Gobert. As mentioned before, they have been pulling him out of the paint on defense, which has resulted in the Clippers not only being able to score easier in the paint, but being able to create second-chance opportunities as well. 

Paul George was fantastic in terms of rebounding, as he racked up a playoff career-high 13 defensive rebounds and finished with 16 total rebounds, the second-highest rebounding total that he has recorded in his career. 

George and Batum combined for 23 of the Clippers’ 39 total rebounds and were excellent in terms of limiting Utah’s chances to get second-chance opportunities. These two guys outmuscled Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale in the paint, which is why the Clippers had the upper-hand in this game. 

Winning the 50-50 balls and giving more effort in rebounding goes a long way for a team, especially when they are trying to win on the road in the postseason. For the Clippers, this was the case and as a result, they came away with a huge Game 5 victory that pushes them one game closer to making the Western Conference Finals!