Jazz-Clippers Preview

The Utah Jazz sure didn't miss Deron Williams on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers, who sure could have used Baron Davis.

The teams meet for the second time in three days Monday night in Los Angeles and it's unclear whether either will play in the rematch.

Williams has yet to see action this season due to a sprained ankle, but is expected to play sometime this week. He missed only four games over the first three seasons of his career before missing the first two games of 2008-09.

Davis suffered a sore left hip in a 113-103 overtime loss to Denver on Friday, and sat out the next night in a 101-79 loss to the Jazz (2-0). He is unlikely to return for this game.

The Jazz easily overcame Williams' absence by setting a team record for fewest turnovers with only five as they pulled away in the second half. Los Angeles scored only 31 points after halftime after going into the locker room tied.

"We got defensive stops which allowed us to run the court and get in our offense," Utah guard Ronnie Brewer said. "We started throwing the ball inside and we started finishing. It started getting easy for us."

Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight split time at the point in place of Williams and combined for 13 assists and one turnover.

"We let them be too relaxed with the basketball and they made some easy plays," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said.

Replacing Davis proved to be more difficult for Los Angeles. Jason Hart started at point guard and had two points and two assists, but rookie Mike Taylor took advantage of 33 minutes to score 13 points and hand out four assists.

Still, the Clippers have struggled offensively through the first week of the season -- their 38.7 field-goal percentage is the worst in the NBA.

"Lately we haven't been able to bring things together for a full 48 minutes," Clippers center Chris Kaman said. "We've been good for a half but after that we just give out a little bit. We're trying to figure things out."

The Clippers may get some help if Marcus Camby makes his debut with the club. Camby, acquired from Denver in July, has missed all three games due to a bruised right heel.

This is the first road game of the season for Utah, which went an NBA-best 37-4 at home last season. However, the Jazz's 17-24 record away from Salt Lake City was a major reason why they settled for the No. 4 seed in the West, and they lost all three road games in the conference semifinals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Although the Jazz have won 37 of their last 38 home games against the Clippers, Los Angeles has been much more competitive in the series at home. Utah has lost six of its last eight visits to Staples Center versus the Clippers.