Clippers have an easy time

Happily for the Clippers, they have their chemistry back. Of course, they had to lose a third of their roster and it took most of the season.

After winning the last two games on their East Coast trip, their highlight on the road this season, the Clippers trounced the Utah Jazz, 104-72, to maintain their hold on No. 8 in the West, half a game ahead of Golden State.

It was the Clippers’ most impressive game of the season, a no-show by the Jazz, which lost its fifth game in the last six, or both.

“They took us out of everything we tried to do,” said Utah Coach Jerry Sloan, whose team was held to its season low in points. “They reacted to our plays as well as anybody has all year long.

“We had a tough time being competitive. We missed 20 free throws -- and they weren’t guarding those.

“I don’t want to take anything away from them. We looked like we were on vacation. I don’t know if we can get the guys to go home with us.”

Elton Brand led all scorers with 20 points, Corey Maggette had 19 and Cuttino Mobley 15.

The Clippers were as efficient on offense as they were tenacious on defense. Of their 39 field goals, 32 came off assists.

“There’s no doubt it was a big game,” said Coach Mike Dunleavy. “The way it works, when you come home off a road win, you have to win at home to validate it. Otherwise, you give it right back.”

It was only the Clippers’ fourth victory all season against any of the top eight teams in the league.

Their first three were: against Dallas during its 0-4 start, against Phoenix during its 1-5 start and against Houston the night Yao Ming was hurt.

The wins over the Mavericks and Suns came in November, the one over the Rockets on Dec. 23. Friday’s was the first against any of the top eight in three months.

Of course, it has been a tough season, and the Clippers are leery of saying they have turned it around just yet.

“Don’t say that,” said Brand. “Every time we say that, we go back downhill. We’re just going to have to make this the turnaround. There aren’t many games left.”

The Clippers came into Friday’s game off a 3-3 trip.

“We’ve played hard through this whole series, this trip we just came off of,” Dunleavy said before the game. “If we got down it didn’t matter, we fought our way back in games.

“Houston came out and [made shots] big time, we were down 17 and we came back.... Our guys have gutted it out. We’ve given it an effort, I know that.”

The Clippers started the night 12 1/2 games behind Utah but jumped all over the visitors in the first half, taking a 24-16 lead in the first quarter when they limited the Jazz to 41% shooting, then opening it up in the second quarter.

The Jazz was within 28-24 early in the second period, but that was as good as it was going to get. The Clippers went on a 27-14 run the rest of the quarter, led by reserves Tim Thomas and Daniel Ewing, and blew the game open.

The first half was a Clippers clinic. They shot 51% and had assists on 20 of their 22 field goals.

Not that the third quarter was any better for the Jazz. The visitors went 4:09 before they made their first field goal, by which time the Clippers’ lead had grown to 23 points.

It just kept getting worse. The Clippers led by 28, 81-53, after three quarters. By then Utah Coach Jerry Sloan had all his starters on the bench and his shock troops, little-used Rafael Araujo and Dee Brown, on the court.

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mark.heisler@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* The Clippers played their best offensive game of the season, with 39 field goals coming off 32 assists.

* As they have in this winning streak, except for the fourth quarter in Milwaukee, the Clippers played good defense.

* The Jazz didn’t show up.

-- MARK HEISLER