When Jordan Clarkson takes the court tonight, he will undoubtedly add to his legacy.
Already one of the premier players to come off the bench in NBA history, Clarkson will become a part of another sort of history.
For the second time in league history — the first being back on Oct. 28 when Utah and Houston played — two players with Filipino heritage will play in an NBA game together. Clarkson and Houston's Jalen Green, both of Filipino descent, are helping inspire a country driven by basketball.
"They love basketball," Clarkson said following Utah's 122-91 victory over Houston on Oct. 28. "Just us two being here is super inspirational for the youth and every Filipino-American, every Filipino, anybody with Filipino blood. I feel like it's just an amazing experience, something that can't be done again because (it was) the first. Hopefully we see more."
Because of the rarity of what's happening on Wednesday night, the Jazz will be honoring Clarkson, Green, and others with "Filipino Night — A celebration of Culture and Tradition."
Joseph Buenaflor will sing the national anthems while Grace Shoptaugh and Gracie Lou Cultural Dance Group will perform Filipino cultural dances. Mary Navalta-Chavan (President, Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Utah), Grace Lack (Public Relations Officer, National Federation of Filipino American Associations), and Melle Moreno (Officer, Pilipino American Association of Utah) will also be in attendance.
Jazz players have purchased tickets for the game and donated them to local organizations, including the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Utah, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, and the Pilipino American Association of Utah.
As far as the game itself goes, it's an important one for the Jazz after suffering a heartbreaking 101-95 to the Lakers two nights ago in Los Angeles.
The Jazz are looking to get back to their winning ways — but it won't be easy. They will be playing without three of their top-eight rotation players as Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol), Rudy Gay (right heel soreness), and Hassan Whiteside (health and safety protocols) are all listed as out.
That means that even more pressure will fall on the others, including Clarkson. While Joe Ingles is expected to replace Mitchell in the starting lineup, Clarkson will be looked upon to pick up the scoring as the three players out combine for 43 points per game.
STATSUtah (29-15, 14-8 home / No. 4 Western Conference)Offense*114.9 Points Per Game (No. 1 in NBA)*116.1 Offensive Rating (No. 1 in NBA)
Defense*107.3 Points Per Game (No. 12 in NBA)*108.5 Defensive Rating (No. 11 in NBA)
*Rudy Gobert: 15.7 points / 15.2 rebounds / 2.3 blocks / 71.4% shooting*Bojan Bogdanovic: 17.7 points / 4.1 rebounds / 39.9% 3P-shooting*Jordan Clarkson: 15.1 points / 3.4 rebounds / 25.9 minutes*Mike Conley: 13.9 points / 5.3 assists / 43% 3P-shooting
Houston (13-32, 6-19 away / No. 15 Western Conference)Offense*108.3 Points Per Game (No. 16 in NBA)*106.5 Offensive Rating (No. 26 in NBA)
Defense*116.7 Points Per Game (No. 30 in NBA)*114.6 Defensive Rating (No. 30 in NBA)
*Christian Wood: 17.6 points / 10.1 rebounds / 35.5% 3P-shooting*Jalen Green: 15.0 points / 3.2 rebounds / 2.2 assists*Eric Gordon: 14.9 points / 45.5% 3P-shooting*Kevin Porter Jr.: 12.9 points / 5.8 assists / 4.4 rebounds
MATCHUP TO WATCHJordan Clarkson vs. Jalen Green— Whenever NBA story is about to take place, it only makes sense to have Clarkson and Green be the matchup to watch — but it’s also because of what they do for their teams. With Donovan Mitchell out, Clarkson will relied upon to make up for the lack of scoring while Green is Houston’s best perimeter player.
INJURY REPORTUtahOUT — Rudy Gay (right heel soreness)OUT — Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol)OUT — Hassan Whiteside (health & safety protocols)
HoustonOUT — Usman Garuba (G League - On Assignment)OUT — Daishen Nix (G League - Two-Way)OUT — Trevelin Queen (G League - Two-Way)
BROADCAST INFORMATIONTime: 7:00 p.m. MSTLocation: Vivint Arena / Salt Lake City, UTTV: AT&T SportsNetRadio: 1280 The Zone