Rudy Gobert Doubtful in Virtual Must-Win for Utah Jazz

Rudy Gobert isn’t likely to play in tonight’s Game 4, but the Utah Jazz still desperately need a win in order to stay afloat in the series.

If we’re being optimistic, then you could say there was some good news on the injury front regarding Rudy Gobert yesterday as the Utah Jazz center’s status was upgraded from “Out” to “Doubtful.” Unfortunately, that isn’t all that much of an upgrade and it’s very likely that Utah will be without the Stifle Tower once again when they face off against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 tonight, but still any news of improvement is a very welcome sign.

Gobert went down in the initial seconds of Game 1 with a hyper-extended knee and bone bruise, and while optimism was high early given that he suffered no structural damage, the fact that Utah is now down 1-2 after dropping Game 3 at home and that Rudy appears set to miss yet another important playoff game is somewhat disheartening.

There was a momentary burst of excitement on Twitter yesterday regarding Gobert’s status as an announcement began circling that his injury status had improved even further from “Doubtful” to “Questionable.” These are all buzz words in the NBA, but the seemingly sudden upgrade seemed to bode very well for Rudy and the Jazz.

However, not long after those reports surfaced, the Utah Jazz’s David Locke, from whom we can presume that report originally came, tweeted out that he had misread an email and that Gobert was indeed “Doubtful” and not “Questionable.”

And at that point, Salt City Hoops’ Spencer Wixom’s reaction matched that of all of Jazz Nation:

https://twitter.com/JazzJargon/status/855960842289913856

Therefore, Rudy’s chances of playing tonight are looking quite slim. That means that the load in the paint will continue to rest on the shoulders of Derrick Favors, Boris Diaw and perhaps this time Jeff Withey. As I noted earlier today, Favors’ impact has been somewhat disappointing, but if Utah hopes to stay afloat in the series, he along with his teammates will have to step up dramatically tonight.

A loss in Game 4 would put the Jazz in a 1-3 hole, the like of which rarely produces a comeback. That’s not to say it’s impossible (we saw it happen twice last year), but given how much of a struggle by and large it’s been for the Jazz to compete with LA and considering that they would then have to win three straight games including two at Staples Center, that seems like a tall task.

In other words, if the Jazz hope to stay alive in the series and maintain a fighting chance, they absolutely have to view tonight’s game as a must-win. Not only will that knot up the series at two games apiece, but it will also buy the Jazz yet more time for Rudy Gobert to hopefully make a healthy recovery.

After Game 4, the Jazz resume action on Tuesday, then will have two whole days off before hosting Game 6 on Friday. Of course, ideally the Jazz simply win three straight, but if Utah wins tonight, then it will give them some cushion to possibly drop Game 5 then potentially have Rudy back for a Game 6 that ends up being almost exactly two weeks after his initial injury.

Regardless of whether that’s quite how things pan out or not, Games 2 and 3 made it absolutely evident just how badly the Jazz need Gobert in the paint. The rest of Utah’s frontcourt, particularly Derrick Favors, simply aren’t getting it done, especially defensively.

Although the Clippers will be without Blake Griffin for the remainder of the playoffs as he suffered a big toe injury in Game 3, to be frank I’m not sure that the Jazz can stop the Chris Paul-DeAndre Jordan pick-and-roll and win the series without Gobert. Given that his status is listed as “Doubtful” there is of course a slim chance that he makes a shocking return tonight, but that seems less than likely.

Therefore, even in the Stifle Tower’s probable absence tonight, Utah absolutely must find away to come away with the win in Game 4 to avoid what would otherwise be an almost certainly insurmountable deficit.

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Tonight’s game tips off at 7:00 PM MT within the friendly confines of Vivint Smart Home Arena. Jazz fans were rocking on Friday night and this Jazz team will need a repeat of that energy and excitement if it is to come out and get a critical Game 4 victory tonight.