By JONAS TERRADO
Jordan Clarkson backed up Donovan Mitchell’s historic night to help the Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets, 129-127, Monday morning Manila time for a commanding 3-1 lead in their NBA Western Conference first round playoff series.
The Fil-American regained his shooting touch by scoring 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting with three rebounds at the Disney World complex in Orlando as the Jazz moved one win shy of advancing to the second round.
Utah goes for the series win in Game 5 set Wednesday still inside the bubble.
Clarkson provided the spark off the bench during the contest that saw Mitchell erupt for 51 points, joining Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson as the only players to multiple 50-point games in a single playoff series.
Mitchell later praised Clarkson, who is averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the series.
“He’s really been an unsung hero. JC’s been playing his butt off, man, he’s been playing well on both ends of the floor,” Mitchell said. “That’s the JC that we’d like to see, he’s playing out of his mind and we’re glad to have him.
“Job’s not done but he’s a guy that comes in there day-to-day, and he’s been to the Finals. He understands what can happen in a series,” added Mitchell.
After being held to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting in Saturday’s Game 3 win, Clarkson scored nine in the second quarter that included two triples and driving layups as Utah was able to erase an eight-point deficit to lead 65-64 at the half.
Mitchell took over in the second half but Clarkson was able to knock down some shots to keep the Jazz separated from the Nuggets.
