Clarkson and Bogdanovic combine for 71 points to lead Jazz past Kings / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: USA TODAY Sports-Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports-Scanpix

Jordan Clarkson and De'Aaron Fox engaged in an entertaining scoring duel Saturday night in Salt Lake City, combining for 86 points in the Utah Jazz's (42-25) 134-125 (37-42, 34-25, 29-21, 34-37) victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings (24-45).

Player of the Game EFF 38 Jordan Clarkson Points 45 Accuracy 15-21 Rebounds 0 Assists 2

Clarkson scored a career-high 45 points to lead Utah to its fourth win over the Kings this season.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year hit 15 of 21 shots, drained 7 of 13 3-point attempts, and made all eight free-throw attempts.

Clarkson, whose previous career-best was 42 points, surpassed John Drew's franchise record of 38 bench points.

Fox wasn't quite as efficient as Clarkson but still had a monster night by shooting 15-for-32 with five treys and dishing out 11 assists in the loss.

Harrison Barnes added 18 points and the Kings lost despite shooting 50.0 percent from the field.

Bojan Bogdanovic hit key buckets late in the game and finished with 26 points while Donovan Mitchell netted 25 points with six assists and five rebounds.

Hassan Whiteside scored 12 points, hauled in 21 rebounds, and blocked three shots in a starting role. Rudy Gobert, the backbone of the Jazz's usually stingy defense, didn't play because of a left foot strain.

The Jazz, who shot 55.8 percent overall, also played without point guard Mike Conley, who usually rests in one game of back-to-backs.

The Kings had a 17-11 lead when the Jazz went on a 10-2 run to go up by two. Sacramento kept its offensive fire stoked in the quarter, though, going ahead by seven and taking a 42-37 lead after an explosive opening period.

Fox finished with 20 points and four assists in the first quarter alone.

Utah went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter to regain the lead at 46-45. Sacramento countered with eight straight. The Jazz responded by outscoring the Kings by 11 the rest of the half for a 71-67 halftime advantage.

Clarkson went into the break with 24 points, including a 14-point first quarter.

The Jazz took a 16-point lead after Clarkson hit three consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter, but Sacramento made things interesting by scoring 11 in a row, carving the Jazz lead down to five.

Clarkson and Bogdanovic each came up big in the final minutes to help the Jazz restore their double-digit lead.

Jazz: Jordan Clarkson 45, Bojan Bogdanovic 26, Donovan Mitchell 25 (5 REB, 6 AST), Hassan Whiteside 12 (21 REB).

Kings: De'Aaron Fox 41 (11 AST), Harrison Barnes 18, Davion Mitchell 14, Trey Lyles 13 (5 REB), Chimezie Metu 12 (5 REB).

Jordan Clarkson's performance

Full game highlights

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