Jordan Clarkson’s NBA Playoff stint came to a heartbreaking end after the Utah Jazz were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets 80-78 in Game 7 of their Western Conference first round series Wednesday Manila time in Orlando.
The Fil-American guard scored all of his 10 points in the first half but was hardly used in the fourth quarter when the Jazz rallied from a double-digit deficit to take the lead.
Utah had a chance to advance to the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers but Mike Conley missed a running three at the buzzer, giving Denver a 4-3 series victory.
Denver eliminated Utah despite falling behind 3-1 in the series, thanks to the scoring outburst of Jamal Murray.
Clarkson's best play came in the second quarter when he made a three-point opportunity with a right-handed dunk off Torrey with 7:06 remaining in the second quarter.
Utah, however, was still down 37-26 after Clarkson made the bonus free throw.
The member of Gilas Pilipinas' 2018 Asian Games squad played nearly 25 minutes but spent the remainder of the game on the bench after being subbed by Joe Ingles with 10:56 left in the fourth.
Clarkson finished his second playoff appearance with averages of 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
He had two 20-point games during the series — 26 in Game 2 and 24 in Game 4.
His effort on both ends of the floor has been noticed by star teammate Donovon Mitchell, who said that Clarkson was Utah’s “unsung hero” after Game 4.