Gobert Blocks Germany’s Comeback Attempt, Leads France To Win

SHENZHEN, China – Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert helped block Germany’s comeback attempt and led France to a 78-74 win in their first game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

France was up 53-36 with less than 3 minutes to go in the ball game when Germany made a push. Gobert’s defense was pivotal down the stretch and helped “Les Bleus” pull out the victory.

Gobert posted five blocks in the game including one where he went “to the heavens to shut down Germany.”

"Gobert going to the heavens to shut down Germany" Rudy with 9 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in France's 78-74 win over Germany in the FIBA Basketball World Cup. #utahjazz #takenote pic.twitter.com/aOOVJd28Ff

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) September 1, 2019

Gobert finished the game with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The French were led in scoring by the Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier who had 26 points. Dennis Schröder, a guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, led Germany with 23 points.

Ready. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/EeUozm1him

— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) August 31, 2019

Group G Update

France and Germany are members of Group G in the World Cup tournament. The other members are the Dominican Republic and Jordan.

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With wins in their first games, the Dominican Republic and France now lead the group.

Up next for France is a match against Jordan on Tuesday, September 3 at 6:30 a.m. (MDT). The game is available on ESPN+.

The 2019 FIBA World Cup takes place in China and runs until September 15.