Last Monday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Utah Jazz was more than a battle between the top two teams in the NBA right now. More than that, it was an amazing clash between two of Kendall Jenner’s ex-flames – Ben Simmons and Jordan Clarkson.
The 76ers were without their All-Star center, Joel Embiid, due to back problems. The Jazz, on the other hand, were at full-strength with all of their starters present.
With Embiid out, Philadelphia turned to Ben Simmons to be their focal point on both offense and defense. The top pick of the 2016 draft didn’t disappoint by notching 42 points, 12 assists, and 9 rebounds in 38 minutes that night. He was ably assisted by Tobias Harris who posted 36 points and 10 rebounds while playing 37 minutes.
Ben Simmons with a career-high 42 points and counting 👀pic.twitter.com/Oezf2ySLfx
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 16, 2021
But even with those monster performances from both Simmons and Harris, the 76ers fell to the Jazz with a score of 134-123. How did that happen?
Jordan Clarkson came out firing from the bench
While Simmons was unleashed in the absence of Embiid, Clarkson was there to douse the point forward’s fiery performance. Utah’s leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award came forth with guns blazing by putting up 40 points off the bench.
Clarkson’s 65% field goal percentage that night was felt all over the floor. He connected 8 of his 13 three-point attempts, which translates to a hot 61% success rate from beyond the arc. Clarkson also shot 86% from the charity stripe by making six of his seven free-throw attempts.
While Clarkson was cooking the 76ers with his hot hands, Utah’s starting lineup was also keeping up. The Jazz’s starters all scored in double-digits, with Donovan Mitchell leading them by contributing 24 points.
In comparison, Simmons had a 58% field goal rate by downing 15 of his 26 attempts, which incidentally, were all within the paint. He also made 12 of 13 free-throws that game, which translates to a 92% success rate from the free-throw line.
The effect of Simmons and Clarkson’s duel on their cards
Putting things into perspective and we’ll see the discrepancies between Simmons and Clarkson. The former is both a top pick and an All-Star that can provide a substantial impact on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, the latter has a reputation of being a score-first guard with an inefficient offensive game.
The difference is quite visible too when it comes to their card value. But even if that’s the case, last Monday’s game provided a nice boost to both of these players’ value in the market.
Before Monday’s game, a base 2014-15 Prizm Jordan Clarkson rookie card was last sold at $5.5. Clarkson’s prices jumped up with a sale of the same card reaching $19.99 last Tuesday.
Simmons, for his part, also experienced the same boost in price that Clarkson did. In his case, the All-Star’s graded PSA cards evidently jumped up. Before the actual game, a graded PSA 10 Ben Simmons Prizm rookie card was sold for $330. As of now, the highest it sold for was $450. These sales are proof that Simmons and Clarkson’s amazing performances last Monday translated well to their stock in the card market.
The main takeaway from both players’ monster night is that an impressive game will always be a good catalyst in the card market. That’s why it always pays to catch some games or check the scoreboards for any player with an impressive showing. More often than not, it’ll lead you to make wise investment choices in the card market.
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