Jordan Clarkson on his 24-point 3rd quarter: 'Basket just felt bigger at that point'

When it rains, it pours.

And Jordan Clarkson was definitely making it rain in the third quarter as he rallied his Gilas Pilipinas team en route to a 96-75 victory against Asian rival China to wrap up their campaign in the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Utah Jazz guard scored 24 points in the third quarter alone as he knocked down four consecutive unanswered three-pointers, and five in total in the period, to send Gilas to a massive 73-50 cushion late in the third.

FLAMETHROWER ????????????

JORDAN CLARKSON SCORES 20 PTS IN LESS THAN 4 MINUTES ????????#FIBAWC x #WinForPilipinas ???????? pic.twitter.com/07XEDOroUl

— FIBA (@FIBA) September 2, 2023

The Filipinos never looked back after that as they bagged their first victory in this edition of the global competition.

"I mean the basket just felt bigger at that point," Clarkson said during the post-game press conference.

Clarkson admitted that he had a tough time in some of the past games with opposing teams focusing their game plan on him.

"We got a good flow. I think all World Cup long, you know guys have been hounding me, been aggressive, and you know, [I was] not able to get free, get the shots in that rhythm," he shared.

"But in that third quarter, you know my teammates just found me."

Clarkson ended up finishing with a game-high 34 points alongside two rebounds, three assists, and a steal to gift the home crowd a much-awaited win.

"And just the energy from the crowd, honestly, when you start hearing that, it's kinda hard to count me down at that time. I mean I stayed hot," Clarkson added.

"The crowd was amazing. The fans were amazing. There was just so much energy in there and we really just wanted to win and give them that."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News