2 studs and 1 dud from Utah Jazz win over shorthanded Nuggets

The Utah Jazz are not better without Rudy Gobert. That feels like a sentence that shouldn’t need to be typed. Last night’s narrow 115-109 escape from a depleted Denver Nuggets squad should have answered any questions about his value to this Jazz squad.

Udoka Azubuike was available after a prolonged absence. The young big man did make some solid plays. He finished a lob from Mike Conley on the first possession of the game, and stifled a couple of Nuggets shot attempts throughout the contest.

He was still -8 in 16 minutes, finishing with 5 points, a rebound, a steal and a block. While he showed some encouraging signs, nobody could describe his performance as Gobert-esque.

If there was any benefit to Gobert’s left shoulder inflammation, it was Quin Snyder’s opportunity to experiment with small ball. For most of this game, either Rudy Gay or the recently returned Eric Paschall manned the middle. It would be hard to say that it looked better than the Jazz’s typical starting lineup. After all, 115 points is far from a season high from the best offensive team in the NBA.

It may be that Gobert’s screen setting and interior gravity is more valuable to the team’s attack than five-out spacing. Regardless, it was apparent that these looks can work on a short term basis. If teams force Quin Snyder’s hand in the postseason, he’ll have a hand to play.

Ironically, the Nuggets are the very last team the Jazz can expect to go small throughout a playoff series. Nikola Jokic certainly capitalized on Gobert’s absence, finishing this contest with 26 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists. He probably enjoyed Snyder’s small ball minutes more than any one Utah Jazz fan.

It wasn’t enough to get his shorthanded Nuggets the win. The Jazz may have been without their star center, but the Nuggets’ star center was without his two most talented teammates. The latter ultimately outweighed the former.

Here are 2 studs and 1 dud from this Utah Jazz win.