Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy did not want to be a buzzkill Monday as Jordan Clarkson chased history. Hardy just wanted his player to do it faster.
Clarkson was chasing the Jazz’s first regular season triple-double in 16 years during the Jazz’s 127-90 win over the Dallas Mavericks at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Clarkson entered the fourth quarter with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The former Sixth Man of the Year got the assists he needed by the 7:48 mark. However, the rebounds proved to be a greater challenge. Clarkson was still short a rebound with under 4 minutes to play, which led to a tremendous soundbite from Hardy during a timeout.
“Go get a rebound so I can sit your a– down. God d—-t,” Hardy urged the Jazz guard (profanity edited by LBS).
Clarkson finally got one at the 2:28 mark and immediately called timeout.
The 31-year-old’s final stat line credited him with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Clarkson ended the Jazz’s triple-double drought that lasted 1,256 games over 16 seasons — the longest stretch in NBA history. The last regular season triple-double by a Jazz player was accomplished by Carlos Boozer all the way back in February 2008.
The Jazz power forward tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on Feb. 13 in a 19-point win over a Seattle SuperSonics team that featured a rookie Kevin Durant.
Hardy admitted after the game that he did not want “to mess up a good time” by subbing Clarkson out early. The young coach was well aware that the fans wanted Clarkson to achieve the feat as well.
The Jazz veteran played 28 total minutes — much more than Hardy would’ve preferred in a massive blowout.
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