A very frustrated Rudy Gobert let his true emotions show following Saturday afternoon's 108-95 loss to the L.A. Clippers. The loss not only allowed the Clippers to clinch a playoff spot in this season's playoffs, but also got them a 3-1 series tiebreaker, now sitting only half a game behind the Jazz for fourth place in the West.
“We've got guys that compete, but some of us don't compete. Some of us just think about scoring. That's what it is,” Gobert told ESPN's Tim MacMahon after an emotional outing.
“Coach keeps repeating it: We've just got to compete. We're too nice. Those guys, we know they're going to get calls. We've just got to come out aggressive and ready to fight.”
The Clippers squandered a 16-point lead in the third quarter, which had plenty of tempers flaring on both sides. Jamal Crawford channeled his into a 17-point fourth quarter, leading the Clippers to a pivotal victory and finishing with a game-high 28 points off the bench.
The Jazz suffered most of their woes in the paint, where the Clippers outscored them 58-46, a relatively small margin that played a big difference in the game.
“I think everybody needs to think about making plays for the team, making winning plays, before thinking about how many points we're going to score and stuff like that,” Gobert told MacMahon after rattling up a team-high 26 points and 14 rebounds. “Everybody has to be ready to sacrifice. In the playoffs, it's not going to be pretty. There's going to be some games where you don't score, but are you going to take a charge for a teammate? Are you going to come and box out DeAndre (Jordan) for a teammate?”
These two teams are likely to meet again in the playoffs, with the fourth seed getting the extra game at home that can make all the difference in a tough first-round series.
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