Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has established himself as one of the best rim protectors in the NBA today. His mere presence is enough to change shots inside the paint, but he can also score near the basket when the opportunity presents itself.

Gobert proved just that on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. In the early minutes of the third quarter, the French international soared high to clean up the missed shot of  Royce O’Neale and threw down a powerful follow-up dunk to the delight of the Salt Lake City faithful inside Vivint Smart Home Arena. Even his teammates were all fired up to see him slam it down hard as they were all standing up on the sidelines.

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The Jazz are the hottest team in the league today having won nine consecutive games and will look to extend it further with a victory over the visiting Spurs. With a 28-28 record, they are trying to close the gap on the L.A. Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans who are ahead of them in the standings and to join the race for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Gobert is already having a strong game so far with a double-double, and it will be interesting to see what his final stat line will be on the night.

The Spurs, on the other hand, are looking to return to their winning ways as they've lost three of their last four outings. If there's any good news for them at this point, they are still in third place in the West with a 35-22 win-loss slate.