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Dallas • The groundswell around Gordon Hayward's All-Star candidacy has been significant in past weeks, with both coaches and players around the NBA speaking up on behalf of the small forward from the Utah Jazz.
But while Hayward has put up career numbers this season in almost every area, there aren't many big men around the league currently playing better than Rudy Gobert.
Without Gobert, the Jazz don't squeak by the Dallas Mavericks with a 112-107 overtime win at American Airlines Center on Friday night. Without Gobert, the Jazz don't enter Saturday night's matchup against the Indiana Pacers on a season-high five game winning streak.
"Rudy was terrific tonight," Utah coach Quin Snyder said.
On Friday morning, Gobert spoke of his desire to post the first 20-point, 20-rebound game of his career. He went out and did that against the Mavericks, and then some, scoring 27 points and grabbing 25 rebounds, both career highs. It was the first 25-25 game recorded in the NBA this season. In his last three games, Gobert has scored 64 points and grabbed 61 rebounds.
"He was definitely a force in there all night," Dallas point guard Devin Harris said of Gobert. "He's got a long wingspan. He got a couple of rebounds where we've got smaller guys in there, and he's just so big it's hard to contain him. He's definitely improved as a player."
That Gobert's individual performance almost overshadowed a great game down the stretch and in overtime shows how dominant he was. But overall, the Jazz were able to reach in the well for a win they had to fight for with each possession.
Joe Johnson — once again — hit the biggest shot, a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:50 remaining in overtime with the Jazz down 107-104. His shot came off Gobert's missed free throw, which bounced back to the big man, who then saw Johnson open and ready to shoot.
"Rudy got the offensive rebound," Johnson said. "And I just flared out to the three, knowing we were down three. I just felt the confidence in taking it. Rudy found me, he found me for a great shot."
Armed with new life and a tie game, Joe Ingles hit two free throws, the product of a loose-ball foul in a rebound scrum. Gobert then closed the scoring by hitting three consecutive foul shots. As they did in a win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, the Jazz found a way to close out when it mattered the most. Against the Mavericks, Utah ended the game by scoring the final eight points.
"We just finally got some stops when we needed them down the stretch," Gobert said. "That's a tough team to play against. We definitely grinded that win out."
The game featured 18 lead changes and 16 ties. It featured big shots from different people. It featured Jazz point guard George Hill fouling out and the Jazz going without a true point guard down the stretch.
In the end, Gobert and Hayward were too much for the Mavericks. Hayward scored 26 points, while grabbing seven rebounds and handing out four assists. Johnson came off the bench and scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Ingles — starting in place of Rodney Hood once again — scored 12 points, handed out four assists and grabbed three rebounds. Hill scored 13 in 31 minutes.
That collective production was enough to offset seven Dallas players scoring in double figures, led by Harrison Barnes, who scored 19 points. Utah, with the win, moves to 28-16. The Jazz are now a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place in the Western Conference.
"Eventually, we were able to get some stops tonight," Snyder said. "And then we made some big plays on both ends of the court. Joe hit a big shot, and I thought Gordon just attacked the whole night, too, which was good."
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Pacers at Jazz
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