Clippers’ Luc Mbah a Moute has one main task — stop Jazz’s Gordon Hayward

The cat-and-mouse game between Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute and Utah Jazz All-Star forward Gordon Hayward is full of intrigue.

It is incumbent upon Mbah a Moute to use his defensive skills and moxie to try to slow down Hayward.

It is essential that Hayward use all his offensive weapons and guile to maneuver around Mbah a Moute’s clutches. They will continue this waltz as long as the Western Conference first-round playoffs series continues between the Clippers and Jazz.

“He figures it out. The stuff that you do earlier might not work. The stuff you do in the first quarter might not work in the second quarter,” Mbah a Moute said about Hayward. “So it’s challenging and it’s fun to constantly adjust, constantly switch the coverage and him figuring it out and being able to get to the basket and scoring. That’s the fun part of it. But, like I said, it’s a good matchup. He’s a really, really good player. So, I’m looking forward to it.”

In Game 3, Hayward showed his guile by scoring a career-high 40 points, including 21 points in the first quarter.

The Clippers view Mbah a Moute as a versatile defender who can play on-ball defense, defense against post players and chase three-point shooters.

“There’s really not anybody Luc can’t guard,” Chris Paul said. “He can guard the point guard. He can guard [Derrick] Favors if you need him to. Luc is selfless like that. Coach be like, ‘OK, Luc guard him.’ He’ll be like, ‘All right.’ It’ll be like, ‘OK, go guard him. All right, you got Joe Johnson. Go guard Gordon Hayward.’ He’s just adaptable like that and that’s why he’s our guy.”

The Clippers still want Mbah a Moute to be aggressive on offense, to attack the basket and take his open three-pointers.

“I look at myself as a basketball player,” he said. “Obviously I can defend and I’m usually on the best offensive player. I’m just out there making plays, trying to help the team whether it’s a rebound, defending the top guys or driving to the basket, making a cut, shooting the corner three. I look at myself as a basketball player who tries to make plays to help the team.”

Austin Rivers injury update

Hold that thought about Austin Rivers, who has been sidelined because of a strained left hamstring, playing in Game 4 Sunday against the Jazz.

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers basically put an end to Austin Rivers playing in the next game.

“I don’t think so,” Doc Rivers said. “I don’t know, though. I think he thinks that for sure. He’s feeling better, I will say that. He’s working out. I just don’t see that. I think that’s awful quick. But I honestly have not asked because I was told something different from the beginning. Until someone tells me something different, we’re going to go with that.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner