The Los Angeles Lakers snapped their six-game losing streak on Friday night as they came back from a double-digit halftime deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves. Plenty of players made contributions, but Jordan Clarkson led the pack on this night as he set a new career-high with 35 points.
His performance was definitely a good sight as Clarkson was coming off of an awful performance against the Clippers. Clarkson was confident and aggressive all night and that was very noticeable to head coach Luke Walton:
“He seemed to have that spark back that he’s played with most of the year. The last couple of games, I just feel like his confidence has been a little down, which we don’t want obviously. He definitely seemed to have it going again tonight and it was good to see.”
Clarkson has had something of an up-and-down season this year as his role has changed a number of times. From coming off the bench to being a starter and playing off-the-ball to being a the primary ball-handler on the team, Clarkson has constantly had to adjust his game.
His performance on Friday night showed what he is capable of, especially as a scorer. While he may not have the natural playmaking ability of D’Angelo Russell, he is an excellent one-on-one scorer and can get to the rim almost at will.
Even more impressive, and likely unsustainable, was Clarkson’s outside shooting as he made eight of his 10 three-point attempts. Clarkson has been pretty streaky throughout this year, but if he can get a little more consistency from deep he could really take a major step forward.
As Walton said, Clarkson just seemed a little more locked in and it showed. Whether it was a matter of confidence, or just the special energy in the building, it got Clarkson back on track.
**All quotes obtained by Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters unless otherwise noted**
