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Rudy Gobert is back. Derrick Favors is back. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors are back, at the same time.

For Utah Jazz fans, this has to be as welcome a sight as there has been over the last three months. Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the two were in the same starting lineup for the first time since the Jazz narrowly lost to the Golden State Warriors — on the last day of November.

Without the two, Utah lacked what made it so good defensively over the final half of last season. So now that Gobert and Favors are back together in earnest, they hope to give the Jazz the paint presence on both ends that has made them so intriguing.

"I'm happy that he's back in the lineup," Gobert said. "It's great to have him back and we really missed his presence. We feel like we want to try and get back to how we played last year and at the start of this season."

The Jazz are 1-1 with Favors this week, with him coming off the bench in both games. After Wednesday's win over the Charlotte Hornets, Favors said he came out of the game pain-free . He said he struggled a bit with his wind and conditioning, but said he's ready to play his normal 30 minutes a night now.

Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns went back and forth in the first half, with Gobert scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds. Towns, the rookie out of Kentucky, scored 10 points in the first quarter alone, causing the Jazz issues with his ability to play on the perimeter.

Rookie rhythm

Lately, Raul Neto's been playing more minutes, playing better offensively and running the offense with aplomb. In the first half on Friday night, the rookie scored nine points and added five assists. He's never had a double-double, but on this night, he consistently got into the lane and either scored or found an open teammate.

"He's understanding what the guys need and assuming the role of the guy who's getting them the ball," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "He's hitting open shots and defending the ball. He can make an impact doing that, and winning battles at the point of attack."

Another return

Former University of Utah great Andre Miller is Minnesota's third-string point guard, and made another appearance in the area as a player. He hasn't played as much this season, appearing in 20 games. In 10 minutes a night, Miller is averaging 3.6 points and 2.4 assists.

Missing him

As has been the case over the last three weeks, another point guard lit the Jazz up. This time, it's Minnesota's Zach Lavine, who scored 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the first half against Utah. The Jazz indeed miss Dante Exum defensively.

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