At first glance, the mismatch could not have been more clear.
Taking a pass near the left block early in Wednesday’s first quarter, Utah’s Bojan Bogdanovic backed into Lou Williams, a Clippers guard who was three years older, seven inches shorter and has never carried the reputation of a stingy defender.
But the easy basket never came. Williams waited for Bogdanovic’s third dribble, then poked away a steal. He would wind up with the open look — a layup after weaving through two defenders on the other end.
NBA games are won over 48 minutes, not 10-second stretches, yet the moment encapsulated a night inside Staples Center when Utah’s obvious mismatch over a Clippers team missing three starters plus another reserve took longer to materialize than anyone would have suspected at first glance.