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It was the Ben Simmons and Jordan Clarkson show when the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena. The two players engaged in a shootout but Clarskson's side emerged victorious with a 134-123 scoreline. It was a high-scoring affair with both teams making at least 50% of their shots.
The Sixers played without Joel Embiid but they were right in the thick of the fight regardless. Simmons had a career-high 42 points and Clarkson recorded a season-high 40 points in the exciting matchup.
Ben Simmons and Jordan Clarkson were on fire in the first quarter
Ben Simmons came out smoking hot in the first quarter, making all of his field goal attempts. Sensing that the Philadelphia 76ers needed him to score a lot more with Embiid not playing, Simmons was aggressive against the Utah Jazz from the get-go. He took advantage of his mismatches, whether in height or speed.
As soon as the Utah Jazz inserted him in the first quarter, Jordan Clarkson energized his team which was down by 14 points early. Clarkson's shot-making brought the Jazz closer to the Philadelphia 76ers who led 42-35 at the end of the first.
Twitter was fired up seeing the two players light up the scoreboard.
The Utah Jazz came back strong in the second quarter and took the lead for good, with the scoreline reading 72-66 at halftime.
In the second half, the Utah Jazz attacked the Philadelphia 76ers relentlessly
Donovan Mitchell made some tough shots in the third quarter to keep the Philadelphia 76ers in their rear view mirror. At the same time, the Sixers still had no answer for Utah Jazz supersub Jordan Clarkson in the third quarter.
A Twitter user was reminded of how the Jazz acquired Mitchell in the first place. Who knew this kid was going to be this special?
Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons were working hard to stay in step with the Jazz. Simmons tied his career-high of 34 points with plenty of time left in the third quarter.
Philly was scoring but it was their defense that was sorely lacking. Jordan Clarkson had a season-high 32 points by the end of the third.
In the fourth quarter, the Philadelphia 76ers cut into the Utah Jazz lead
It wasn't long before Ben Simmons broke his career-high in points, and he kept scoring. Jordan Clarkson wasn't done shooting the ball as well. Making his eighth three of the game, Clarkson tied a Utah Jazz high for 3-pointers in a game, a record shared by several players.
The Utah Jazz eventually won their eighth straight while the Philadelphia 76ers lost their third consecutive game.
Jordan Clarkson's 40 points came in just 29 minutes. He could have broken the Jazz record for threes but he sat out the final minutes with the Jazz comfortably ahead. Ben Simmons had a near-triple-double as he added 12 assists and nine rebounds to his 42 points. Both players were the story of the game and Twitter couldn't stop talking about them.
Simmons' cheekbones are also a part of league history, too, according to Jimmy McCormick of ESPN. Now that's a record!
The Philadelphia 76ers have to go back to the drawing board and arrest their recent slide. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz just need to do what they've been doing the past 20 games. They have now won 19 of their last 20 and are the best team in the league right now.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors - Philadelphia 76ers linked with multiple point guards ahead of March 25 deadline
