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SALT LAKE CITY — Jordan Clarkson put his name in the record books again Monday in Utah’s 127-115 victory over the Wizards.
With a late fourth-quarter blowout — he scored 12 straight points to lead Utah’s 20-3 victory late in the game — Clarkson finished with 38 points and now has the most in games over 30 points in reserve in team history. Monday was the 13th time he crossed the 30-point mark coming off the bench.
“My teammates did a good job of passing the ball to me, and then I was just trying to get to my spot and score in spots where I was comfortable,” Clarkson said of his personal streak. 12-0. “That was it, I was just trying to finish the game.”
As for the historical significance of Monday’s performance, Clarkson said it was important to him.
“It kind of marks my time here in Utah,” he said. “The history, the culture that is being built here, I am happy to be part of it and to have my name in all these books.”
Clarkson has had many of those moments now. He was the franchise’s first player to win NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and he ended the franchise’s long regular-season triple-double drought earlier this season.
Clarkson also became the first player to record at least 38 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists coming off the bench, according to Basketball Reference. When he thinks of all the elite bench guards in the history of the game – Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams, JR Smith – he feels honored to be mentioned alongside them.
“Especially the guys I look up to who have all been a part of my career,” he said. “You look at Jamal, he talked to me all the time; he played alongside Lou and Will and JR Smith, and those kind of guys that come off the bench and give energy and won that award. I took that role. That’s definitely That’s been my impact in this league, something that I’ve really taken in stride and really tried to be successful in coming off the bench and really affecting the game in that area.
Clarkson certainly made an impact in Monday’s win.
Clarkson’s run began with the game tied at 113-113 with 4:08 left. He made 5 of 6 shots during the spurt, helping the Jazz pull away for just their second win since the trade deadline. He also added 10 rebounds and seven assists on Monday.
“Jordan had a big night for us with 38 points,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “Honestly, I’m more proud of his 10 rebounds than his 38 points, if I’m honest.”
This shows Clarkson’s evolution with the Jazz. In Utah, he went from a struggling bench player to a Sixth Man of the Year shooter to a more well-rounded guard.
Oh, and also some Utah Jazz history.
