NBA - With Clarkson on board, the Jazz stay unbeaten at 4-0

CHICAGO - Since Jordan Clarkson joined the team following a December 23 trade from Cleveland, the Utah Jazz just keeps on winning.

Their latest conquest was over the struggling Chicago Bulls, 102-98, on Thursday night (Friday morning Philippine time) at the United Center where 20,917 fans flocked.

Trailing 58-47 at the 10:23 mark of the third quarter, the Jazz turned things around by going on a 24-20 run to take a nine-point lead before holding off the stubborn Bulls late in the fourth quarter.

Clarkson finished with 12 points and three rebounds while coming off the bench for 23 minutes. As A jazz, he now scored a total of 60 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The 6-foot-4, 194-pound Fil-AM is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and a 37.5 percent from long distance through four games as a Jazz.

Entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed while a member of the Los Angeles Lakers last July 2016, Clarkson is having another fine season, averaging 14.6 points per through 33 games while shooting 44.4 percent from the field.

Besides making an obvious impact on offense, Clarkson has also been sharp on the defensive said.

"I want to coach him hard, help him get better, and he can help us get better, He switched onto big guys rolling in pick-and-roll, and really worked hard in getting into their legs, getting them off the boards. He's chasing people in screening actions," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder told The Salt Lake City Tribune last week while discussing Clarkson's impact.

The Jazz now hold a 22-12 record, second place in the Northwest Division and tied with the Dallas Mavericks for fifth place overall in the Western Conference.

Jordan, 27, was taken as the 46th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Jordan Clarkson takes on the United Center floor prior to tip-off. He went on to score 12 off the bench and the Jazz won 102-92. (@philboxing photos by Andrew Schroeder).