SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson went deep into his bag of tricks in the second quarter on Tuesday.
From no-look assists to two hand slams, Clarkson gave the OKC Thunder defense everything he had.
After going scoreless in the opening quarter, Clarkson went into halftime with nine.
John Collins and Lauri Markkanen led the way for Utah with 12 and 11 points.
Clarkson even showed off his hops as he rose up for his eighth dunk of the season off a pass from Kelly Olynyk.
Despite Clarkson’s second-quarter heroics, the Jazz trailed by 7 going into the half.
After dropping six of their last eight games, Utah stopped the bleeding with a much-needed win over the Bucks.
The win came at an opportune time as the Jazz’s next five games all come against teams vying for Western Conference playoff positioning.
After facing the top-seeded Thunder, the Jazz travel to face the surging Phoenix Suns. They will return to host the Golden State Warriors twice and the Los Angeles Lakers before heading into the All-Star break.
The Jazz currently own the 10th seed in the West with a record 25-26.
The Thunder will have an opportunity to hold onto the top seed in the West when they travel to face the Jazz.
Oklahoma City is tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves at 35-15 for the best record in the Western Conference. OKC could own the top seed outright with a win and a Timberwolves loss to the Chicago Bulls.