LA Clippers vs. Utah Jazz

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The week back from the break is the strangest of the year. Everybody has had nine days off, nobody is quite in rhythm, rosters have quietly changed around the edges, and the first few games afterwards are played by teams that are visibly working out what they now are. Utah are a familiar conference opponent and the sort of side that punishes anybody still half on holiday. What makes late February worth attending is that the standings have become arithmetic by now - everybody in the building is doing the same sums three or four games ahead, and a Thursday that looks ordinary on paper carries real weight by the fourth quarter. Come back to the building when the league does. There is a particular sharpness to the restart that the rest of the calendar never has. Keep an eye on the injury news in the days beforehand as well; the week back from a break is when rested players and newly signed ones both turn up without much warning.