Jordan Clarkson called it “wild,” and his coach referred to it as one of those strange moments in an NBA season.
“There are a couple games usually every season that are just kind of weird,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “You can’t quite put your finger on it.”
They were referring to Clarkson’s unusual shooting performance on Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings: He missed his first 13 shots and finished with only two points.
“My teammates were like, ‘Keep shooting, keep shooting,’ ” Clarkson said. “I was like, ‘Bruh.’ “
Those descriptions could be used for the Jazz’s most recent game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who come to Salt Lake City on Friday. Utah had a “bruh” outing when the two teams matched up in late January, with the Jazz going up by 15 points early, only to lose by 25 points at home.
“It’s a great win for us, especially on a back-to-back,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said after that meeting. “Our energy was there, and we executed at a high level. That third quarter was the difference – our defense turned into offense.”
Minnesota doubled up Utah in that pivotal quarter, 44-22.
The weirdness of the night was punctuated when the seemingly loudest cheer of the night inside the Delta Center happened when a seldom-used reserve player from Minnesota subbed in for a brief appearance. This wasn’t just any T-Wolves end-of-the-bench player for Jazz fans. It was Utah legend Joe Ingles, who was a beloved player in the Beehive State for eight seasons (2014-22) before being traded as the team entered rebuild mode three years ago.
Utah fans chanted for him to enter the game – a request graciously fulfilled by Finch, whose team also features former Jazz players Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
“That’s fire. I mean, he’s a legend,” Clarkson said of Ingles. “All the guys, they come back and feel a lot of love, especially from the home crowd that we’ve got here. We’ve got the best fans, so I didn’t expect anything less. But Joe’s a legend, man, always and forever. He’s engraved in Utah culture and Utah basketball.”
Clarkson was more like himself in that Jan. 30 game, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Two nights ago, he hit just 1 of 14 field goals while missing all eight 3-point attempts.
“You guys are going to ask about Jordan going 1-for-14,” Hardy said. “I don’t know – people get struck by lightning, too. I’ve never seen that in my life. I don’t think we’ll ever see it again.”
Another wild element in the loss to Sacramento: Jazz center Walker Kessler drained all 10 shots he attempted — though he did miss 2 of 7 free throws — en route to 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and zero turnovers in a sensational 34-minute performance.
Like their January game, the Timberwolves had to fly into Utah during a back-to-back set. Minnesota lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 111-102 on the second leg of their four-game road trip Thursday night.
Terrence Shannon Jr. led the team with 25 points, but Minnesota couldn’t overcome falling behind 33-17 after the first quarter or putting the Lakers on the free-throw line 46 times.
Friday’s game is one of three remaining between the Jazz and Timberwolves.
