Toronto, Dec 24 : Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to help overcome a 17-point deficit in a 126-119 win over the Toronto Raptors.
The game took place on Saturday evening.
Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen also finished with 30 points, including nine in the final frame.
Utah outscored Toronto 41-21 in the fourth quarter as part of a 71-48 second half where they upped the intensity on both ends.
“I was happiest about us playing really hard early in the second half,” said Jazz head coach Will Hardy after the game. “I think our team did a much better job guarding the ball with more physicality.”
In the first half, the Raptors shot 53.8 percent from the field and hit 9-of-19 on 3-pointers, while in the second half, the Jazz’s defensive adjustments kicked in and resulted in Toronto’s 40.5 and 30.8 percent, respectively.
Utah shot 57.4 percent from the floor in the second half, including a blistering 60.9 percent in the fourth quarter alone.
31-year-old Clarkson, who returned to action after missing six games due to a right thigh injury, came up big in the second half, connecting on 8-of-15 shots for 23 points and dishing out five assists with the top plus-minus rating of +22.
“Jordan is a big part of our team on the floor, a big part of the personality of our team, and a big part of the personality of our organisation,” praised Hardy. “It didn’t feel like he’d been gone for a while with the way he was playing.”
With the win, Hardy’s squad improves to 12-18 on the season and has won five of their last seven games.
