SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert put the hammer down on a dunk against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs.

Jordan Clarkson missed a jump shot when Rudy Gobert got the rebound and threw down the dunk against the Mavericks. That play tied the game at 76 with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Gobert dealt with foul trouble in the first half but still managed to record 10 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes on the floor, while shooting 2-of-5 from the field and 6-for-10 from the free throw line.

At the end of the third quarter, Dallas had an 81-78 lead.

🤪 @rudygobert27 🤪 pic.twitter.com/qBWg0kCcMs

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 23, 2022

The Utah Jazz are still preaching defense after dropping consecutive games in their opening-round series against the Dallas Mavericks.

At practice on Friday, reserve guard Jordan Clarkson discussed the defensive issues plaguing the Jazz in Games 2 and 3.

“Right now there’s a big focus on our defense, everybody’s talking about that and has made a point of emphasis on that,” Clarkson said. “We’re taking account for it.”

In their back-to-back losses, the Jazz have had the worst defensive rating among playoff teams at 128.3 points allowed per 100 possessions.

Led by breakout star Jalen Brunson, the Mavericks guards have wreaked havoc on Jazz defenders by repeatedly attacking the paint and either finishing near the rim, or kicking the ball out to open shooters.

Though the Jazz vowed to fix the issue after Game 2, the Mavericks’ three-point shooting was once again a key factor in Game 3.

“It kind of puts us in rotations,” Clarkson said of the difficulty containing Brunson. “But I feel like that’s somewhere where we’ve just all got to have each other’s back and rotate and communicate.”

The Jazz and Mavericks can be heard on KSL NewsRadio and The Zone Sports Network. The game will be televised on TNT, AT&T SportsNet and FuboTV.

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