Jordan Clarkson sustained his sizzling form, firing 29 of his 36 points at halftime to power the Utah Jazz to a 154-148 overtime victory over the struggling Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association regular season on Wednesday.
Clarkson, who reinforced Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Basketball World Cup last August, was on fire, dropping a dagger three-pointer in the final 1:44 of the extra period to give the Jazz a 149-142 lead.
Lauri Markkanen backed Clarkson with 31 points for the Jazz, who tied the franchise record for points scored in a single game.
“It felt good. At that point in the game I was in a rhythm and the big thing was just us moving, creating mismatches and getting space and the opportunity to get open and knock some shots down,” said Clarkson, who made history when he posted 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in their 127-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks last Monday.
Clarkson emerged as the first Jazz to post a rare triple-double since Carlos Boozer delivered 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in their 112-93 win over the Seattle Supersonics on 13 February 2008.
Against the Pistons, Clarkson surpassed Gordon Hayward for fourth all-time on the franchise list for three-pointers made with 690.
“I think it’s really a culmination of how our team’s playing and everybody trusting that when they give the ball up that everybody else is going to continue to try to make the right play,” Utah coach Will Hardy said of his team shooting 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point range.
The Jazz have won nine of their last 12, their best stretch of the season before they face a road trip to Boston, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
“Early in the year, we were trying to figure out our roles on a young team,” Clarkson said.
“We’re getting a lot more comfortable knowing the ball is going to come back and find you. We started to move and play that type of way. We just bought in.”
Meanwhile, Zion Williamson and C.J. McCollum combined for 51 points as the New Orleans Pelicans upset the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-106.
Pelicans power forward Williamson led the scoring with 27 points while McCollum added 24 as New Orleans ground out an impressive victory on the road.
McCollum’s tally included four three-pointers while Brandon Ingram (19 points) and Herbert Jones (16) also chipped in with valuable contributions.
Jones’ 16 points included four three-pointers from five attempts. Anthony Edwards led the Minnesota scoring with 35 points.
