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Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert was instrumental down the stretch in their 112-107 victory over Rick Carlisle and the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. The big man was all over the place and came up with clutch plays on both ends of the floor to help the Jazz secure the victory over the Mavs.
Sure enough, Carlisle couldn't help but give it up to the Frenchman, saying that Gobert will probably nab his third consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award with the way he impacts that game on the defensive end of the floor.
Rick Carlisle on Rudy Gobert: "He’s probably going to be Defensive Player of the Year again. He impacts the game massively at the defensive end. He doesn’t just do it around the basket. He does it on the perimeter too on switches."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 26, 2020
Gobert finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks, all while going a spotless 8-of-8 from the field. The 7-foot-1 big man also made some key plays in the final minute, making a crucial putback shot, blocking a potential game-tying attempt from Delon Wright, and securing the game-clinching rebound to seal Utah's 32nd win of the season.
The long-time Mavs mentor was not the only person giving praises to Gobert following his Saturday night domination. Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic also gushed about their center and vouched for the his All-Star and MVP candidacy.
The Jazz are now winners of 20 of their last 23 contests, and Gobert has certainly been Utah's driving force through their incredible stretch of the season. In the 22 games prior to Saturday, Gobert averaged 17.1 points, 15.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while shooting an ultra-efficient 70.4 percent from the field.
Utah currently holds the second spot in the Western Conference, and a lot of this has to do with Rudy Gobert's massive impact on defense. Even though All-Star games are all about the offensive highlights, dunks and flashy passes, it would be a crime to snub the two-time Defensive Player of the Year once again this season.
