NBA: Jordan Clarkson, Jazz storm back to edge Warriors
Feb 5, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) shoots the ball past Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (44) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
Jordan Clarkson scored 31 points, Keyonte George added 26 and the Utah Jazz made a furious comeback to erase a late double-digit deficit in a 131-128 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in the NBA in Salt Lake City.
Playing under the shadow of a widely reported massive four-team trade, including these two, Golden State led 122-111 with three minutes left after Draymond Green hit two free throws.
But the Jazz scored on 10 straight possessions and made a flurry of defensive plays in the last three minutes to cap a wild night with an unlikely win.
READ: NBA: Jordan Clarkson leads Jazz past Bucks
Stephen Curry led all scorers with 32 points and Brandin Podziemski netted 29, but it wasn’t enough to stave off a Jazz team playing without injured starters Collin Sexton and Lauri Markkanen.
Help reportedly is on the way for Golden State. The Warriors would acquire star Jimmy Butler from Miami in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a protected 2025 first-round pick, and the Jazz would send P.J. Tucker to Miami, according to reports.
Utah will get Dennis Schroder from Golden State. Detroit would get Lindy Waters III from the Warriors and Josh Richardson from the Heat.
After a rough start, the Warriors seemed to have this game under control. Golden State trailed by 14 points in the first half, but led by double digits when Utah went off with under three minutes left.
READ: NBA: Utah Jazz focusing on developing rookies, second-year players
The rally started quietly enough, with George splitting a pair of free throws. George then stole the ball and assisted John Collins (19 points) for a quick bucket.
Clarkson then hit a 3-pointer, and Isaiah Collier (20 points, 11 assists, six rebounds) burst to the hoop for a layup to cap an 8-0 run, making it 122-119.
Curry momentarily interrupted Utah’s flow with a couple of buckets sandwiching another Clarkson trey to keep Golden State ahead by four with under a minute left.
Clarkson then made two foul shots, and George wrapped up the game with a 3-pointer followed by two free throws to put Utah up 129-126 with 10 seconds left.
Curry cut the lead to one with two free throws a second later, but the Jazz clinched it thanks to two foul shots from Collins and a late steal by George.
Walker Kessler had some big defensive stops in the finishing run and finished with 15 points, 18 rebounds and three blocked shots. –Field Level Media
