This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Rudy Gobert awakened from his pregame slumber on Thursday afternoon. He turned on TNT, hoping against hope that he'd be named to the NBA all-star team as a reserve.

He wasn't.

On Thursday night, surrounded by reporters, he was asked whether or not his snub would serve as motivation. Gobert looked, smiled and said "that's a dumb question."

In a 96-88 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Gobert turned in a patented Rudy Gobert performance: Dominating the interior, mixing his offense in where needed. It wasn't a perfect game by the Jazz in front of a national television audience, but Gobert's defense was good enough to carry the Jazz until the offense kicked in.

Gobert grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked six shots, adding nine points. And in the third quarter, his long arms and impeccable timing in the lane fostered a 16-0 run that allowed the Jazz to turn a 56-52 deficit into a 68-56 lead.

Utah floundered significantly at points of the game, its offense sluggish. But the Jazz were able to score when it mattered the most, in what was a win that seemed too difficult given the current state of the Lakers.

Offensively, Gordon Hayward again provided a significant boost. The new All-Star scored a game-high 24 points with three rebounds and two assists. He came up with big hoops down the stretch and found his way to the free throw line when his outside jumper wasn't cooperating with him.

Along the way, other Jazz players filled in the blanks. George Hill's 3-pointer gave Utah an 88-81 lead after the Lakers had drawn within four points. Alec Burks came off the bench and provided 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting in 14 minutes. All 10 Jazz players who saw action scored. And that proved to be enough, even with Utah not shooting the ball well for much of the night.

The Jazz (30-18) snapped a two-game losing streak and maintained its hold on fifth place in the Western Conference. The Jazz are within a half-game of the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

It was a struggle for most of night against a Lakers team which has been floundering for much of the season. Utah's offense wasn't crisp. The ball didn't move with its usual pop. The guards struggled to gain separation off the dribble, and and shooting was an adventure, as Jazz coach Quin Snyder shuffled lineups in and out in an attempt to find a rhythm.

That's why Gobert's performance in the third quarter proved to be key. The Lakers turned a 44-41 halftime deficit into a small lead, while the Jazz found shotmaking an adventure. With Utah needing stops, Gobert's defense and presence allowed those stops to take place, which led to easy baskets.

Gobert would finish Thursday off in style, blocking Ivica Zubac's shot against the backboard at the buzzer, as the home crowd chanted his name.

Hill finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. The Jazz shot 6 of 26 from the 3-point line, and 40 percent overall from the field. But the free-throw line proved big for Utah, as the Jazz shot 24 of 28 from the charity stripe.

Twitter: @tribjazz —

Storylines

R Utah breaks a two game losing streak.

• The Jazz turn the ball over eight times on their way to the win.

• Utah scores 44 points in the paint.