3 studs and 1 dud from dominant Utah Jazz win over Portland Trail Blazers

Utah Jazz stud: Rudy Gobert

On the subject of consistency (or lack thereof), Rudy Gobert has been the epitome of it for the Utah Jazz over 2021-22. He’s either good, or he’s great. In last night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, he was the latter.

He finished last night’s game with 21 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. Moreover, his ability to lock down the paint regularly impeded the drives to the basket that Damian Lillard depends on to be successful.

Arguably, the Trail Blazers are an ideal matchup for the Stifle Tower. Between Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller, they regularly lean on a conventional big man in the middle, which allowed Gobert to stay-at-home beneath the basket for most of last night. Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups could have gone with a small-ball line featuring Larry Nance Jr. in the middle, but he only played 17 minutes in this game, all of which came at the 4.

Some observers may take issue with this suggestion. It’s hard to argue that Billups’ reliance on Nurkic was a problem for his club last night, as the Bosnian bruiser finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. On the other hand, his inability to stretch the floor allowed Gobert to regularly bother star guard Damian Lillard. With Gobert locking the paint down, Lillard was forced to rely on a jump shot that consistently failed him throughout this game.

In essence, the Blazers made the strategic decision in leaning on a conventional big man that the Utah Jazz hope for opponents to make every night. It allows Gobert to dominate, and he accepted Portland’s invitation to do exactly that in this game.