Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz were the topic of conversation in the last game before the NBA stoppage as he was the player to test positive just before tipoff. The 7 foot 1 All-Star Center was also at the forefront of the conversation in the NBA’s first game back. Gobert scored the first bucket of the NBA bubble with an impressive move on the baseline on New Orleans Pelicans Center and former teammate Derrick Favors.
The game starting with an impressive Gobert basket may have been just what the doctor ordered. The Center has been far from quiet on his desire to be a more focal part of the offense, and as gameplay returned, he proved himself early. As the game went on, Gobert stayed involved on the offensive end of the floor.
Perhaps no moment of the game was a more significant sign for Jazz fans than their star Donovan Mitchell driving down the lane in the fourth quarter with the game tied 104-104 with only Derrick Favors there to contest the shot Mitchell dished an impressive pass to Rudy Gobert who earned a trip to the free-throw line with a chance to take the lead. Gobert, who averaged just over 60% from the free-throw line during the season, sank both free throws in what eventually ended up being the game-winning free throws after a missed three-pointer from Brandon Ingram.
Rudy & Donovan
More important than the win, that pass from Donovan Mitchell served as a signal to the NBA that the pair truly is about winning. While the league was on pause, there was much speculation on where the relationship with the Jazz duo will be at and some people saying it is “beyond repair.” After some time both players testified of the special team the Jazz have and that they are both focused on winning. Gobert and Mitchell had been working well together in the three scrimmage games, and the strong play was even more evident in Thursday’s game.
“Donovan and Rudy, they certainly had some synergy on the court,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “Just to see them connected like that was really good. We’ve moved on from all that stuff, and we’ve been here practicing and working. We talked about using this entire experience to get better, and I think those guys have done that too.”
Although the synergy and win sound great, the Jazz did not look great for a large part of the game. At one point, Utah trailed by 16 points. The team seemed to have no answer for Brandon Ingram in the first half, and his strong play was coupled with a JJ Redick hot streak. With Gobert on the bench, the Jazz struggled defensively, rebounding, and overall matchups and gave up a 140.7 defensive rating.
Second Half
The second half was the beginning of a different story, however. The half began with a Gobert block on Zion Williamson and really began a second half of stellar interior defense from the 2x Defensive Player of The Year. Utah also seemed to find an answer for defending Brandon Ingram in the second half holding him to 1-9 shooting. Slowly the Jazz began chipping away at the deficit.
A major swing came as Donovan Mitchell really elevated his play in the second half, and especially in the fourth quarter. The star guard seemingly found his stride, and the offense ran through him in the comeback victory.
Takeaways
Although the Jazz won the game, they have an apparent weakness with their bench. Every player in Utah’s second unit finished in the negative in +/- rating. Jordan Clarkson did some good things off the bench and led the team in scoring with 23, but also finished with a -15 in plus/minus rating. While it is one game, it is a clear soft spot the Jazz hope to address as play continues.
The game wasn’t perfect or exactly pretty for the Utah Jazz, but they have to leave encouraged with the play of their two stars, and that they came back from being down by 16. The win should be enjoyed and built upon.
The last night of regular season NBA play ended sourly for the Jazz and resulted in a reported rift between their two top stars.
Tonight on the first night of resumed NBA play the game ended with an unselfish pass from one star (Donovan Mitchell) to the other resulting in two game-winning free throws made by Rudy Gobert.
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