Jazz vs. Clippers score, takeaways: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George lead L.A. to blowout win over Utah in Game 3

The home team has won every game in this series to this point

The Los Angeles Clippers answered the call on Saturday night in Game 3 of their best-of-seven series with the Utah Jazz as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made sure that Los Angeles would not fall into a 3-0 deficit against the top seed in the Western Conference by coming away with a 132-106 win.

While the Jazz hung around for the majority of the night, it was the Clippers who finished the job with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter to put things out of reach. George and Leonard combined for 65 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in the win, while the Clippers also received major contributions from Reggie Jackson and Nic Batum as each finished the win with 17 points.

On the other side, Donovan Mitchell was fantastic for the Jazz yet again as he scored 30 points to lead the way for Utah. Unfortunately, he appeared to tweak his ankle during the middle of the fourth quarter and would ultimately not return to the game, despite the fact he remained on the bench.

With the win, the Clippers have new life in this series and will have a chance to even things up on Monday night when these two teams meet again in Game 4.

Here are three key takeaways from the game:

1. P.G. takes over the first half...

Paul George wasn't at his best to start this series, averaging just 23.5 points on 34.2 percent shooting as the Clippers dropped Games 1 and 2 in Salt Lake City. He was determined not to let that poor play carry over into Game 3, and came out aggressive and looking to score. 

Just a few minutes in, he threw down a dunk off a feed from Marcus Morris, then hit a step-back jumper. From there, he was off, hitting jumper after jumper to finish with 20 points in the first half alone. He carried the Clippers early on, and got them out to an early double-digit lead. 

When the final buzzer sounded, he had 31 points and five assists on 12-for-24 from the field. This was easily his best game of the postseason so far, and came at the perfect time for the Clippers. They needed a response after going down 2-0 for the second series in a row, and George delivered. 

2. Kawhi carries the Clippers home

The first half of Game 3 was all about Paul George, who was unguardable at times and set the Clippers up with a double-digit lead. After the break, Kawhi Leonard took over and carried the Clippers home with one of the most flawless stretches of basketball we've seen in a while. 

A few years ago, after Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to the title, there was some talk about whether he was the best player in the league. That time has passed, but when he puts together performances like he did on Saturday night, it's easy to remember why that was a genuine debate. 

In the second half alone, Leonard went for 24 points, six rebounds and three assists on 10-for-12 from the field. Once he decided he was going to take over, there was absolutely nothing the Jazz could do to slow him down. He got to his spot time and again, and made sure the Jazz never made a serious comeback attempt. 

3. Jazz's 3-point shooting not enough

The Jazz had the fourth-best offense in the league in the regular season, and a big reason why was their elite 3-point shooting. They took 43 3-pointers per game, which was the most in the league by a wide margin, and still finished fourth in percentage at 38.9 percent. 

In Game 3, they were at it again. Joe Ingles knocked down two 3-pointers in the first 90 seconds, and they finished 19-for-44 from downtown. If you don't count some garbage time attempts, the numbers would have been even better. Shooting that well from beyond the arc would all but guarantee a win most nights, and coming into the game they were 21-4 this season when making at least 19 3-pointers.

This time around, it wasn't enough. One problem for the Jazz was that they couldn't slow down the Clippers' 3-point attack. It's great to make 19 3s, but if you allow the other team to make that many as well, it obviously negates any advantage you would have gained. Another issue was that the Jazz couldn't get anything going inside. They went 17-for-40 on 2-pointers overall, and just 14-for-25 at the rim. Even though the Clippers went small this game -- Ivica Zubac was benched and only played 13 minutes -- the Jazz didn't have any success attacking the rim. 

[Jun 12, 2021 at 11:06 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

clippers win 132-106 to cut the series deficit to 2-1. big response from them after losing the first two games in utah. kawhi leonard put up 34 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, while paul george added 31 points and five assists. really tough to beat the clippers when they're both playing like that. donovan mitchell had 30 to lead the jazz, but tweaked his ankle late in the fourth

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:59 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

clippers up 24 with three minutes left and both teams have emptied the bench

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:57 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

mitchell was just giving the thumbs up to someone and appeared to be saying "i'm good." so hopefully that little injury is nothing and he'll be fine for game 4

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:50 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

seems like mitchell wanted to check back in but snyder told him to go sit down. wise call with the clippers up by 21 and only five minutes left in the game. no need to risk anything at this point

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:49 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

donovan mitchell may have possibly tweaked his ankle. he checked out of the game and was tightening up his shoelaces. now talking to quin snyder on the sideline

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:45 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

clippers have had a lot of turnovers tonight where they drive into the lane and get stuck so they just whip it out to the perimeter without really looking

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:42 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

kawhi gets loose on the break for a little floater in the lane and the clippers are up 106-92 with eight minutes to play. jazz call a timeout to discuss things. they're going to need a response, and quick. haven't been able to make a serious dent in this clippers lead for a while now

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:39 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

big time three from luke kennard in the corner on the fastbreak. pushes the clippers' lead back up to 13 after the jazz had been threatening to cut it to single digits

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:31 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

94-83 clippers at the end of the third quarter. kawhi leonard took over and he's up to 22 points. paul george also has 25 for the clippers. donovan mitchell with 26 points to lead the jazz. clippers have been in control for a while here, but haven't been able to put the jazz away

[Jun 12, 2021 at 10:28 pm ET · Jack Maloney]

jazz haven't really made the clippers sweat yet, but at the same time they aren't going away. keeping it close enough that the fourth quarter should be interesting