Simmons' debut rousing success as Harden, Powell deliver win amidst huge minutes

One played 49 minutes. The other scored 41 points. And the newest one shocked and awed.

(Photo credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images)

The game before the All-Star break can be dangerous in the NBA.

Players, rightfully so, can get caught looking ahead to much-needed time off before the sprint to the regular season finish line. It’s partly what made Thursday’s game in Salt Lake City dangerous for the LA Clippers as they looked to head into the break on a positive note.

At altitude, on the second night of a back-to-back, in a rescheduled game, and without the services of Kawhi Leonard, as well as Amir Coffey, you can understand why the potential for pitfall was prevalent.

But no one could predict the whirlwind that transpired.

The Clippers, after falling behind by as much as 20 in the first half and even 18 midway through the third quarter, knocked off the Utah Jazz in overtime to enter the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak thanks to a 120-116 victory.

“We just kept telling ourselves to stay with it, stay together. We knew that we’d be able to dig the game out but it started on the defensive end,” said Norman Powell, who finished with a season-high 41 points. “The talk was all about defense and getting stops, being able to get out in transition, make the game easier for us, and we were able to do that.”

Powell scored 15 of his game-high 41 in the fourth quarter and overtime, playing all but one second of those final 17 minutes. Powell logged 45 minutes and 44 seconds overall on the night.