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In a feat of athleticism not seen very often from him, Jordan Clarkson sent a reminder to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the rest of the NBA. Featuring one of the most impressive dunks of the season, Clarkson and the Jazz took down Minnesota 128-116 on Thursday night.
“He was incredibly efficient. It just shows you that he’s talented,” head coach Quin Snyder said of Clarkson. “In games like tonight, when they’re aggressive in the pick-and-roll the way they were, for him to get off the ball, it says a lot.”
In a game where Clarkson — who averages 14.8 points per game — struggled from the field, he still found ways to affect the game. He finished with just five points but added seven assists, three rebounds, and one insane dunk that not only got the crowd loud but his teammates hyped and changed the energy of the game.
“Wow. I told him I thought his shot was going to get blocked. … I thought he was going to put it up there, and then they were going to meet him at the top block it,” Donovan Mitchell said postgame. “Every once in a while, J.C. reminds you of his younger days back in L.A. when he was dunking on everybody. … Against two guys that can get up to, that was definitely impressive.”
Clarkson wasn’t the only star of the night. Six other Jazz players dropped double figures on the night, led by Donovan Mitchell’s team-high 28 points and Rudy Gobert’s statement-making double-double.
Mitchell got off to a hot start, dropping 11 points in the opening 12 minutes as he could get to the rim at will against the short-handed Timberwolves. He finished 10-for-20 from the floor and 4-for-11 from beyond the arc, adding seven assists and five rebounds.
With Karl-Anthony Towns and Jarred Vanderbilt both sidelined due to health and safety protocols, Minnesota had no answer for Gobert down in the post.
The big man dropped 20 points and 17 rebounds, shooting 8-of-14 from the field. Although seven came on the offensive end, he was equally impressive on the other end of the court with four blocks.
With those two playing so well, Mike Conley arguably dominated the game with his leadership and play-making ability. He finished with a game-high +22 rating with 17 points, six assists, and four rebounds in 28 minutes of action.
The game started physical and intense, with Utah clinging to a one-point lead following a pair of free throws from Minnesota’s Jaylen Nowell. A couple of great plays from Hassan Whiteside ignited a 10-3 run to give the Jazz a 35-27 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Timberwolves responded in the second quarter, rallying to take a 50-47 lead with just over to play in the half. The Jazz then went on a rally of their own, going on a 17-4 run with Clarkson’s dunk being one of the launching points.
Utah led 67-60 at the break.
The second half was another slugfest, seeing the Jazz slowly expand their lead to 15 points early in the fourth quarter. But Minnesota had another run in them, cutting Utah’s lead to seven with 5:30 to play.
That’s when Utah’s three-headed monster took over.
Gobert banked in a shot, igniting a 7-2 run as Conley and Mitchell scored Utah’s final 14 points of the game. Whenever the Timberwolves tried to seize the momentum, Conley and Mitchell shut it down with back-to-back three-pointers to end it.
“It was just about being poised and calm throughout,” Conley said. “Especially late in the game, it was just taking our time, offensively and defensively, knowing that we’re going to rely on what we do. … Try to be great at what we do and close out the game.”
Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 18 points (4-for-5 from deep), while Joe Ingles added 16 points, five assists, and three steals. Hassan Whiteside chipped in 12 points.
Utah returns to action for a Christmas Day special, hosting the Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. MST.