LOS ANGELES_While Jordan Clarkson was in the middle of a one-for-nine shooting performance Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, he wandered by the bench and told his coach his shot was broken.
For the next two days, Clarkson spent extra time shooting, trying to fix it. That paid off Friday during the Los Angeles Lakers' 130-119 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Clarkson scored a career-high 35 points, making eight of 10 three-pointers, which was also a career high, as were his 13 made field goals. He became the third Laker since 1983 with at least eight three pointers in 10 or fewer attempts. The other two are Jordan Farmar, who made eight of 10 on Feb. 28, 2014 and Glen Rice, who made eight of 10 on May 5, 1999.
"He seemed to have that spark back that he's played with most of the year," Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. "Last couple games it seems like his confidence has been a little down. He definitely seemed to have it going again tonight. It was good to see."
Offensively, his best moments came as the Lakers mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter and overtime. He scored 17 of his points in those 17 minutes. Clarkson was also part of a second unit whose defensive intensity helped turn the game for the Lakers.
"We just started blitzing (Andrew) Wiggins' screens," Clarkson said. "Try to get him to make plays for his teammates. Turned up the intensity. We gave them a lot of points in the first half and that was a big emphasis for us to change in the second."
For the last three games, Clarkson has been part of a starting backcourt with D'Angelo Russell. Walton has wanted to see how he does as a point guard, with Russell off the ball.
Overall, he's played well lately. Clarkson has scored in double digits in all but three games since February began.
