Jordan Clarkson recorded his first regular-season triple-double since 2008, securing a 127-90 victory for the Utah Jazz over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. Clarkson entered the game off the bench.
Clarkson recorded his first career triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in a regular-season contest for the Jazz since Carlos Boozer accomplished the feat on February 13, 2008, a span of 1,256 games.
Clarkson’s triple-double marked the first for a Jazz bench player in over four decades, since Mark Eaton recorded 12 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 blocked attempts on February 5, 1983.
Clarkson remarked, “It was a very cool little milestone to add to my list.”
Clarkson, age 31, recorded a triple-double in his 685th game of the regular season and 728th game of his career. Washington selected him 46th overall and in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft prior to his transfer to the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2019, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and subsequently transferred to the Utah Jazz.
With 2:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, Clarkson secured his tenth and final rebound after experiencing several near-misses. Following his completion of the ball and timeout call, both his teammates and Jazz supporters erupted in applause.
“I was a little anxious the entire time leading up to the rebound,” Clarkson explained.
Clarkson has taken his most recent step away from the moniker “gunner” that he acquired previously in his NBA career with this triple-double.
“He has adapted to his new role and is making every effort to increase his contribution to the team’s victory,” said Jazz head coach Will Hardy. “The objective is not solely to accumulate scores. “If I had to choose one of our teammates at this moment to break the streak, it would have been Jordan.”
Simone Fontecchio scored 24 points to lead the Jazz. John Collins contributed 15. Lauri Markkanen tallied 17 points. Walker Kessler led the team in scoring with eleven while contributing to four blocks and ten rebounds.
Utah won its fourth consecutive home game and avenged its December 50-point loss to Dallas. The Jazz have recorded eight victories in their last eleven contests.
“The swing of eighty-seven points is quite erratic,” said Markkanen. “It feels good to start the year off right.”
Luke Doncic contributed to the Mavericks’ victory with fourteen assists, six rebounds, and nineteen points. Five 3-pointers and 17 points were tallied by Jaden Hardy for Dallas, which fell to the Jazz for the second time in eight encounters.
“We just couldn’t get in a rhythm with that zone, the box-and-one and the different defenses that they played tonight,” Dallas head coach Jason Kidd commented. “We were anticipatory of the coming event.” “Tonight, we simply failed to capitalize on or execute the opportunity.”
Following a 12-game absence due to an injured heel, Kyrie Irving returned to action and recorded 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in his final contest. Irving acknowledged experiencing some anxiety in his initial game returning.
“It’s my first time in my career I’ve had this type of injury and it was unique and I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be out,” Irving explained. “There was no structural damage done to it, but it was, achy, and I don’t want to say (I was) humbled, but you realize that the injury is a lot more significant when you can’t get your other shoe on.”
Fontecchio provided an early impetus for the Jazz by contributing to Utah’s initial 14 points (12). In the first quarter, he attempted five baskets in total, three of which were three-pointers.
Early scoring by Fontecchio paved the way for a 16-7 run that gave the Jazz a 37-26 lead entering the second quarter. Kessler and Clarkson each contributed two baskets during four consecutive possessions to cap Utah’s surge.
Early in the third quarter, the Mavericks reduced a 12-point deficit to 70-67 after Derek Lively II assisted Hardy on a corner 3-pointer and the Mavericks then scored consecutive baskets. Back-to-back dunks by Fontecchio and Markkanen halted the 9-0 Dallas run.
In the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Jazz extended its lead to 97-79 with a 16-4 run that caused a permanent lapse. Five of six Utah baskets scored by Clarkson or assisted by him occurred during the decisive run.
