Jordan Clarkson’s impressive 36-point performance, with 29 points coming in the second half and overtime, combined with Lauri Markkanen’s 31 points, led the Utah Jazz to a thrilling 154-148 overtime victory against the Detroit Pistons during Wednesday’s NBA action. This high-scoring game tied the franchise record for points for the Jazz, while the Pistons set a franchise record for points in a loss.
Clarkson, who recently achieved his first triple-double, played a crucial role in overtime, hitting a significant 3-pointer to extend the Jazz’s lead. He also surpassed Gordon Hayward on the franchise list for 3-pointers made, reaching a total of 690.
“It felt good. At that point in the game, I was in a rhythm … and the big thing was just us moving, creating mismatches and getting space and the opportunity to get open and knock some shots down,” Clarkson said.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons Updates
Jazz coach Will Hardy praised the team’s overall performance, highlighting their 52% field goal shooting and 50% from beyond the arc.
“I think it’s really a culmination of how our team’s playing and everybody trusting that when they give the ball up that everybody else is going to continue to try to make the right play,” Hardy.
The win is part of a positive trend for the Jazz, who have won nine of their last 12 games. Clarkson reflected on the team’s growth and increasing comfort with their roles, contributing to their success.
“Early in the year, we were trying to … figure out our roles on a young team,” Clarkson said. “We’re getting a lot more comfortable knowing the ball is going to come back and find you. We started to move and play that type of way. We just bought in.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons Updates
The game was pushed to overtime following a dramatic exchange of 3-pointers between Markkanen and Detroit’s Alec Burks in the final moments of regulation. The Jazz eventually took control in overtime, adding to the Pistons’ woes, who have now lost 30 of their last 31 games.
“The last four or five games we are playing good basketball. We are outrebounding every team,” Bogdanovic said. “We are outworking them. We had 32 assists again tonight, so we are playing good basketball but still we need that little push to win these kind of games.”
Bojan Bogdanovic had an outstanding performance with a season-high 36 points, including eight 3-pointers, while Burks contributed a season-best 27 points. The Pistons and the Jazz set season highs in points before overtime, with Utah recalling their last high-scoring game in 2021 against Sacramento. The night, they marked a unique NBA record, with five teams scoring over 140 points.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons Updates
Cade Cunningham added 31 points and 12 assists for the Pistons, who continued their 17-game road losing streak. Despite their effort, the Pistons faced another loss after leading by double digits, a recurring issue this season.
“We were right there. We put ourselves in position. But I feel like the turnovers came in spurts today,” Cunningham said.
Utah initially trailed until a surge in the third quarter, led by Simone Fontecchio and Keyonte George. Despite taking the lead, the Pistons fought back, led by Burks and Bogdanovic, to regain the advantage in the fourth quarter.
Markkanen spoke about the challenge of keeping up their scoring pace due to the lack of defensive stops. Collin Sexton also contributed with 25 points for the Jazz, who have now won five consecutive home games.
“Obviously, it’s fun to score the ball, but I think it just puts a lot of pressure on our offense and execution, because if we’re not getting stops, we know that we have to get a good score on the other end,” Markkanen said.
Looking ahead, the Pistons will face the Golden State Warriors, while the Jazz have a challenging game against the Boston Celtics, both scheduled for Friday night.
