Jordan Clarkson #00 of the Utah Jazz goes up for a shot on Juan Toscano-Anderson #95 of the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on May 10, 2021 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
MANILA, Philippines — As if there’s any doubt about who’s the NBA Sixth Man of the Year this season, Jordan Clarkson made another strong case for the award on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old guard posted his second 40-point game of the season after dropping 41 against the Golden State Warriors.
He shot 16-of-33 from the field and had five 3-pointers with his last putting the Utah Jazz ahead, 116-114, with 1:11 left.
🗣 SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR! 🗣#TakeNote | @jordanclarksons pic.twitter.com/0v3SKTRhfC
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) May 11, 2021
The top-seeded Jazz (50-19), however, ended up losing, 119-116. Steph Curry led the Warriors (36-33) with 36 points capped by a go-ahead triple with 14.5 seconds remaining.
Clarkson, who fired 24 points in the fourth quarter alone to lead Utah’s comeback from 18 down, nearly matched his career-high of 42 points he set back in February 2019.
According to StatMuse, Clarkson is the first player in NBA history to score 40-plus points, attempt 15-plus threes with zero assists off the bench.
Jordan Clarkson tonight:
41 PTS
0 AST
16-33 FG
5-16 3PHe is the first player in NBA history to score 40+ points, take 15+ threes while recording 0 assists off the bench. pic.twitter.com/fBqKuiYyQR
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 11, 2021
Clarkson, who is in his ninth year in the NBA, is averaging a career-best 18 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season.