Rudy Gobert Posts Massive Double-Double, Leads Jazz In Win Over Clippers

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Jazz center Rudy Gobert recorded a huge double-double to carry Utah to victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers hosted the Jazz at Staples Center on Wednesday, February 17.

Gobert led Utah to a 114-96 victory behind a double-double with 23 points and 20 rebounds.

The performance was the two-time NBA Defense Player of the Year’s fourth career 20/20 game.

The @utahjazz beat the @laclippers 114-96.

Huge game from Rudy Gobert. 23 points and 20 rebounds in the win.

Donovan Mitchell had 24 points to lead all scorers. #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/0AYNGBfIa8

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 18, 2021

Gobert also had one assist, one steal, and a pair of blocked shots in the win.

He finished with a team-high rating of plus-25 during his 32 minutes on the hardwood.

Rudy Gobert is now the NBA's leader in plus-minus.

He overtakes Mike Conley at +279. Mike is +265 this season and hasn't played in six games (all wins for the Jazz.)

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) February 18, 2021

Game Flow

The first half wasn’t pretty for Jazz fans watching the game.

Utah struggled to make shots and was hounded by Los Angeles’ defenders. In particular, Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic struggled to see their shots fail for the Jazz.

At the halftime break, the Clippers owned a five-point lead.

In the third quarter, Mitchell and Gobert came out and flipped the game into Utah’s favor. Mitchell and Gobert combined for 20 points during the quarter and helped the Jazz take a six-point lead into the final 12 minutes of the game.

“I think everybody picked it up defensively,” Gobert said after the win. “In the second half, we felt like they were playing harder than us in the first half and we can’t let that happen. So we came back out more physical, more unselfish with the ball and we were able to score in transition and get to the line.”

Gobzilla going to work. 🦖#TakeNote #UTAatLAC https://t.co/m4mQ8q9UGH

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 18, 2021

Gobert’s presence was felt not only on the offensive end but on the defensive end of the floor throughout the game.

“I know that my team needs me to come out every night and be the anchor defensively and offensively create stuff for my teammates,” Gobert added. “I try to come out every night with the same mindset and be aggressive every single night.”

Utah outscored L.A. by 12 points in the fourth quarter and ran away with the 18-point victory.

Jazzed Up

The Jazz ended the game shooting 42.9 percent overall and 32.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Mitchell scored a team-high 24 points on 9-22 shooting. He also had seven rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and one block.

The worst thing about Spiders is when they surprise you…

Donovan Mitchell proved it with his big block against the @LAClippers to save a bucket at the buzzer. 🕷️🚫#TakeNote https://t.co/xxUMhc3I5G

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 18, 2021

Bogdanovic ended with only five points on 2-10 field goals.

Jordan Clarkson led Utah’s second unit with 18 points.

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— utahjazz (@utahjazz) February 18, 2021

It was the ninth consecutive win by the Jazz and their 20th in the last 21 games.

Jazz win 20th game in the last 21 games equalling the best stretch of basketball in Utah Jazz history. The only other time was by the 1996-97 Utah Jazz

— David Locke (@DLocke09) February 18, 2021

Clips not at full strength

Unfortunately for fans of the Clippers, Los Angeles was missing Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Nic Batum.

Rudy Gobert's night is the reason the Clippers should not want to see the Jazz in the playoffs.

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) February 18, 2021

L.A. finished the game shooting 44.2 percent from the field, including 34.6 percent from three.

Lou Williams led the Clippers with 16 points, only two of which came during the second half.

Up Next

With the win, the Jazz improved their NBA-best record to 24-5 on the season.

9 in a row, 20 of the last 21 pic.twitter.com/c4UyWHTXTM

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) February 18, 2021

Utah’s next game is the second of a back-to-back with Los Angeles.

The Clippers host the Jazz again on Friday, February 19 at 8 p.m. (MDT). The game will broadcast on ESPN, AT&T SportsNet, and 97.5 FM.