For most fan bases, triple-doubles are a common occurrence.
But for fans of the Utah Jazz, Just Nurkic’s stat line of 16 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on
Tuesday night holds a special place in their hearts.
That triple-double was only the second one by a Jazz player this decade and only the sixth regular season triple-double for the franchise in 21st century. For whatever reason, the 10-10-10 stat line is hard to come by in the Beehive State.
On New Year’s Day in 2024, Jordan Clarkson created an all-time Jazz moment in a meaningless regular season game against the Dallas Mavericks. With the Jazz leading by a whopping 37 points in garbage time of the fourth quarter, Clarkson — who begged to stay in to snag one last rebound — cleared out his teammates to get the elusive 10th rebound and the Delta Center rose to its feet as if the Jazz just won the NBA Title. Will Hardy immediately called a timeout and subbed him for the last two minutes. He finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
It was the first regular season triple-double since Carlos Boozer recorded the feat in 2008.
The Jazz did see a triple-double in the 2018 postseason when Ricky Rubio torched reigning MVP Russell Westbrook for 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It was only the second playoff triple-double in Jazz history, the first one coming from an aging John Stockton against the Mavericks in 2001. His 12-11-10 stat line was surprisingly the only triple-double in his long career.
Of Utah’s 26 regular season triple-doubles, only four players recorded multiple. Pete Maravich (7), Mark Eaton (6), Karl Malone (3) and Andrei Kirilenko (3) are by default the Mt. Rushmore of Utah triple-doubles.
Nurkic has been one of the biggest surprises for the Jazz this season. The big man has 15 games where he’s recorded five or more assists, and in the games he does not play, his absence is felt heavily.
On the season, he is averaging 10.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
