The Utah Jazz were tested on Monday night, tested by the power of Ben Simmons. The Australian, however, like so many players of late that have come up against them, fell as their impressive run continued with a 134-123 win. Much of the focus will be on Simmons, and rightfully so, but let’s first touch on how good Jordan Clarkson was on the evening. An unsung hero, even on a team like the Jazz, he scored 40 points, a high for him on the season in leading them to the win.
That’s right. He scored 40 points from the bench while all five starters chipped in with double digits including 24 from Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles. Simmons, meanwhile, had to pick up some of the slack left by the absence of Joel Embiid. He did just that and more, scoring a career-high 42 points and dishing out 12 assists in a near triple-double showing (he also had nine rebounds). Tobias Harris also kicked in with 36 points of his own, but the help from the bench just wasn’t there, helping the Western leaders, and overall NBA leaders, overcome the Eastern Conference’s top team on the night. The Jazz improved to 23-5 with the win while the Philadelphia 76ers fell to 18-10.
