What does Jordan Clarkson bring to the Utah Jazz?
The Utah Jazz acquired Jordan Clarkson from the Cleveland Cavaliers yesterday for former No. 5 pick Dante Exum and two picks.
| Dante Exum | 2.2 ppg | 1.1 rpg | 0.6 apg | 43.5% shooting |
| Jordan Clarkson | 14.6 ppg | 2.4 rpg | 2.4 apg | 44.2% shooting |
Clarkson certainly gives the Jazz a new look when it comes to second unit play in reserve for Donovan Mitchell and may be able to fill some time while Mike Conley is out, though Conley is rumored to be back any day, though the Jazz certainly don’t seem to be in any hurry to rush things, especially now with Clarkson in the fold.
Both were selected in the 2014 NBA Draft:
- Exum with the 5th pick
- Clarkson with the 46th pick
Though the Cavaliers are expected to start shedding excess salary between now and the trading deadline, one thought that Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson might be the first one(s) to go.
They are seventh in the NBA with a team payroll of $131,515,996. Clarkson was about 10 percent of that payroll at $13,437,500. Exum recently signed a $33 million deal with the Jazz, $9,600,000 hitting the cap this season, so the Cavs automatically save almost $4M with the execution of the deal.
With that in mind, the Cavs also have a glut of guards trying to make the roster, with the Cavaliers already putting it out there that all but Darius Garland are available.
Meanwhile, the Jazz are mired in sixth place in the Western Conference, not moving up nor moving down, are looking to be part of the upper echelon of the West, and were my dark horse pick to upset teams in the stretch run for the playoffs this season.
With another shooter in the mix, Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic should have a little pressure relieved from their shoulders and the Jazz become a little more dangerous.
Let’s just hope he brings a little more class to the No. 8 than Deron Williams left it.
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Atlanta Hawks 118
Cleveland Cavaliers 121
A 42-32 first quarter was all the distance the Cleveland Cavaliers needed to fend off the 6-24 Atlanta Hawks last night in Cleveland. Despite moving Jordan Clarkson to the Utah Jazz, the Cavs won the game on the strength of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter, Jr. Who’s next out of Cleveland?
| ATLANTA (6-24) | CLEVELAND (8-21) |
| Trae Young 30 points – six rebounds – 11 assists – four steals | Collin Sexton 25 points – six rebounds – three assists – one steal |
| John Collins 27 points – 10 rebounds – two steals – two blocks | Darius Garland 21 points – one rebound – one assist |
| De’Andre Hunter 23 points – three rebounds – one assist – one block | Kevin Love 20 points – eight rebounds – five assists – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Cavaliers at Celtics – Friday
Bucks at Hawks – Friday
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Philadelphia 76ers 125
Detroit Pistons 109
Blake Griffin came back after a two game absence, but it wasn’t enough for the Detroit Pistons to avoid their fifth consecutive loss last night in front of the home crowd. Former Piston and #VFL Tobias Harris dropped 35 points and the Sixers put up 60 in the first half and 65 in the second half to sprint to the win from start to finish. Ben Simmons had a nice 16-13-17 triple double for the 76ers, the 17 assists a career high.
| PHILADELPHIA (22-10) | DETROIT (11-20) |
| #VFL Tobias Harris 35 points – seven rebounds – three assists – two steals | Andre Drummond 27 points – nine rebounds – three assists – one steal |
| Furkan Korkmaz 21 points – four rebounds – three steals | Derrick Rose 16 points – three rebounds – seven assists – two steals – one block |
| Joel Embiid 20 points – eight rebounds – three assists – one steal – three blocks | Svi Mykhailiuk 13 points – two rebounds – four assists |
NEXT GAMES
Bucks at Sixers – Christmas Day
Wizards at Pistons – Thursday
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Toronto Raptors 115
Indiana Pacers 120 (OT)
The Hickory uniforms may have given the Indiana Pacers the edge, mentally, helping them overcome solid performances by Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Fred VanVleet, while riding double digit scoring from six of their own.
| TORONTO (21-8) | INDIANA (20-10) |
| Kyle Lowry 30 points – six rebounds – nine assists – one steal | T.J. Warren 24 points – eight rebounds – six assists – two blocks |
| Serge Ibaka 23 points – nine rebounds – two assists – one block | Myles Turner 24 points – seven rebounds – one assist – three blocks |
| Fred VanVleet 21 points – two rebounds – 11 assists – two steals – two blocks | Aaron Holiday 19 points – one rebound – 10 assists – one steal – one block |
NEXT GAMES
Celtics at Raptors – Christmas Day
Pacers at Heat – Friday
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Washington Wizards 121
New York Knicks 115
The New York Knicks started off strong, scoring 37 points in the first quarter, but petered out as the game wore on, handing the Washington Wizards their eighth win on the Madison Square Garden floor last night. Isaiah Thomas was suspended for two games for going into the stands to confront a heckler in Philadelphia, so the Wizards reached down to the G League and utilized Gary Payton II in his stead. Payton 10 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in the Washington win.
| WASHINGTON (8-20) | NEW YORK (7-23) |
| Bradley Beal 30 points – four rebounds – three assists – two steals – two blocks | Julius Randle 35 points – five rebounds – two assists – two steals – one block |
| Troy Brown 26 points – nine rebounds – seven assists – one steal | Damyean Dotson 19 points – two rebounds – three assists |
| Ish Smith 17 points – four rebounds – four assists – one block | R.J. Barrett 18 points – six rebounds – four assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Knicks at Wizards – Saturday
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Chicago Bulls 95
Orlando Magic 103
Terrence Ross popped for six three pointers to lead the Orlando Magic to their 13th win of the season over the hapless Chicago Bulls, who lost their 20th game last night in the Happiest Place on Earth. The Magic were outrebounded for the ninth consecutive outing, but had seven blocked shots on the terriBulls.
| CHICAGO (12-20) | ORLANDO (13-17) |
| Zach LaVine 26 points – eight rebounds – two assists – one steal – one block | Terrence Ross 26 points – four rebounds – one steal |
| Tomas Satoransky 20 points – six rebounds – three assists – one steal | Nikola Vucevic 21 points – seven rebounds – two assists – two blocks |
| Lauri Markkanen 10 points – three rebounds – two assists – one block | Aaron Gordon 16 points – 11 rebounds – four assists – one steal – three blocks |
NEXT GAMES
Sixers at Magic – Friday
Hawks at Bulls – Saturday
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Utah Jazz 104
Miami Heat 107
Although they nearly played to a statistical dead heat, Bam Adebayo got the best of Rudy Gobert last night in Miami with his youthful athleticism that has to have him in the running for Most Improved (though Dallas’ Luka Doncic will probably run away with that one, too). Miami battled Utah’s scoring numbers with six players in double digits and a consistent attack.
| UTAH (18-12) | MIAMI (22-8) |
| Joe Ingles 27 points – four rebounds – two assists – one steal | Jimmy Butler 20 points – eight rebounds – two assists – two steals |
| Bojan Bogdanovic 19 points – four rebounds – three assists | Bam Adebayo 18 points – 12 rebounds – six assists – three steals – three blocks |
| Rudy Gobert 18 points – 20 rebounds – five blocks | Tyler Herro 17 points – six rebounds – two assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Trailblazers at Jazz – Thursday
Pacers at Heat – Friday
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San Antonio Spurs 145
Memphis Grizzlies 115
The San Antonio Spurs went out and claimed their 12th victory, keeping Memphis from their 12th, with a convincing and resounding 30 point win just off Beale Street last night, leaving the question – where has this team’s performance(s) been all season? Their 72 points first half was one shy of their franchise record, but they matched that with 73 in the second half. The Grizzlies never really had a chance. I’d say Gregg Popovich knows Taylor Jenkins’ playbook/mindset.
| SAN ANTONIO (12-17) | MEMPHIS (11-20) |
| LaMarcus Aldridge 40 points – nine rebounds – five assists – three blocks | Jaren Jackson, Jr. 22 points – two rebounds – two assists |
| DeMar DeRozan 26 points – three rebounds – 10 assists – three steals | Ja Morant 19 points – three rebounds – four assists – one steal |
| Trey Lyles 17 points – eight rebounds – four assists – one block | Jonas Valanciunas 18 points – 12 rebounds – three assists |
NEXT GAMES
Spurs at Mavericks – Thursday
Grizzlies at Thunder – Thursday
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Denver Nuggets 113
Phoenix Suns 111
Seven up, seven down. I haven’t seen a climb this fearlessly persistent since watching Alex Hannold scale El Cap in ‘Free Solo.’ But the Denver Nuggets have won their seventh straight game as they scale the peaks of the Western Conference, with only purple and gold in their way. Meanwhile, when did the Phoenix Suns cease to be Devin Booker’s team? Ricky Rubio has taken the lead in Phoenix while Booker appears to have taken a back seat. The results haven’t been favorable for Monty Williams’ squad.
| DENVER (21-8) | PHOENIX (11-19) |
| Jamal Murray 28 points – three rebounds – seven assists – two steals | Ricky Rubio 21 points – seven rebounds – nine assists – one steal |
| Nikola Jokic 22 points – 12 rebounds – 10 assists – one steal | Kelly Oubre, Jr. 14 points – three rebounds – three assists – two steals |
| Will Barton 13 points – six rebounds – five assists – two steals | Dario Saric 13 points – six rebounds – two assists |
NEXT GAMES
Pelicans at Nuggets – Christmas Day
Suns at Warriors – Friday
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New Orleans Pelicans 102
Portland Trailblazers 94
Carmelo Anthony may have had a good night, but the Portland Trailblazers did not, unless you think scoring 38 points in the second half is the taste you want to leave in Trailblazer fans’ mouths as you break for Christmas. As a result, the Pelicans still own the Blazers mentally, going back to two seasons ago when the Pelicans blanked the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs.
| NEW ORLEANS (8-23) | PORTLAND (14-17) |
| Jrue Holiday 21 points – six rebounds – five assists – one steal | Carmelo Anthony 23 points – nine rebounds – two assists – one steal |
| Brandon Ingram 19 points – 11 rebounds – five assists – two steals | C.J. McCollum 20 points – three rebounds – four assists – one steal |
| J.J. Redick 16 points – two rebounds – one assist | Damian Lillard 18 points – three rebounds – seven assists – two steals |
NEXT GAMES
Pelicans at Nuggets – Christmas Day
Trailblazers at Jazz – Thursday
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Houston Rockets 113
Sacramento Kings 104
The more James Harden and Russell Westbrook rack up the points, the more convinced that not many will be able to beat this duo. As each game wroughts confidence in the duo, the more teams have to worry in the second two thirds of the season and the playoffs. Like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the only thing that can stop them is injury at this point.
| HOUSTON (21-9) | SACRAMENTO (12-18) |
| James Harden 34 points – five rebounds – five assists – two steals – one block | De’Aaron Fox 31 points – nine rebounds – six assists – one steal |
| Russell Westbrook 28 points – seven rebounds – six assists – one steal | Richaun Holmes 12 points – 13 rebounds – three assists – two steals – one block |
| Clint Capela 15 points – 14 rebounds – two assists – two blocks | Trevor Ariza 12 points – six rebounds – two assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Rockets at Warriors – Christmas Day
Timberwolves at Kings – Thursday
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Minnesota Timberwolves 104
Golden State Warriors 113
Golden State got another win last night behind D’Angelo Russell, while Minnesota continues to flag without Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup. Ironically, it is my firm belief that Russell being traded to the Timberwolves is the answer to their woes. His 30 point night last night is worth noting, if you’re the T’Wolves.
| MINNESOTA (10-19) | GOLDEN STATE (7-24) |
| Andrew Wiggins 22 points – seven rebounds – two assists – one block | D’Angelo Russell 30 points – four rebounds – four assists |
| Jordan McLaughlin 19 points – two rebounds – four assists – three steals | Alec Burks 25 points – two rebounds – eight assists – three steals – one block |
| Jeff Teague 12 points – one rebound – four assists – one block | Damion Lee 14 points – seven rebounds – three assists – one steal |
NEXT GAMES
Rockets at Warriors – Christmas Day
Timberwolves at Kings – Thursday
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NO GAMES ON CHRISTMAS EVE
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CHRISTMAS DAY GAMES
Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors – 12 p.m. EST – ESPN
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers – 2:30 p.m. EST – ABC
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors – 5 p.m. EST – ABC
Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers – 8 p.m. EST – ABC
New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets – 10:30 p.m. EST – ESPN
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Tracy Graven is a Senior NBA Analyst for BackSportsPage.com.
He has written the NBA, and done NBA radio, for the last two decades for HoopsWorld, Swish Magazine, and HoopsHype, the Coach Scott Fields Show and NBARadioShow.com, and is also tackling the NFL, NCAA, and will be pinch-hitting on some Major League Baseball coverage for BackSportsPage.
He’s spent 20 years in locker rooms in Orlando, Boise (G League), San Antonio, Phoenix, and Oklahoma City.
A corporate trainer by day, he currently resides in Tennessee.
Reach him on Twitter at @RealTMoneyMedia
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