At the end of their most difficult and physically taxing stretch of the season, Utah announced just hours before tipoff that stars Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert would miss Saturday's game against Sacramento.
That meant that a weary and fatigued Jazz team, playing their fifth game in seven days and on the backend of a back-to-back, would be down two starters against the young and athletic Kings. In other words, somebody would need to emerge in a big way for the Jazz to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race.
Jordan Clarkson answered the call — and then some.