3 takeaways from Utah Jazz win over Oklahoma City Thunder

Arguably, Utah Jazz fans shouldn’t take much away from a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’re one of the youngest teams in the National Basketball Association. Beating them should be no more than business as usual.

It was, but even in usual business, there are points of observation. A hallmark of great teams is their ability to beat worse ones handily. The Jazz did exactly that last night, downing the Thunder by a final score of 116-103.

The Thunder deserve some credit. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played like the future superstar that he is, finishing with 33 points. Some of his teammates chipped in to. They just didn’t have enough to overcome a championship contender like the Utah Jazz.

Here are 3 takeaways from this contest.

Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder Takeaway #1: Rudy Gobert is a rock

Some members of the Jazz had spectacular games last night. Gobert was something closer to his usual self. Luckily, that’s all the Utah Jazz need him to be.

The Stifle Tower finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds. As usual, he was hyper-efficient, finishing 5/8 from the field and 2/3 from the charity stripe.

Gobert only blocked one shot. With an average rim protector, that would be a complaint. It isn’t with Gobert. He denied the Thunder the best shot in basketball with the same frequency that he usually does. The Thunder couldn’t catch the big man out of position for a moment: he refused to find himself there.

Rudy Gobert doesn’t need to drop monstrous 35 and 20 statlines to be one of the most effective big men in the NBA. All he needs to do is play his role. That’s exactly what he did last night.