Rudy Gobert Hosts Block Party As Utah Jazz Defeat OKC Thunder

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert put on a great performance and helped the Utah Jazz defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Jazz hosted the Thunder at Vivint Arena on Tuesday, April 13.

Gobert’s triple-double quest fell a few blocks short but helped Utah beat OKC, 106-96.

D
P
O
Y pic.twitter.com/Pz37lXwzDv

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

The Stifle Tower

The center led the Jazz with a double-double that featured 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Gobert shot 6-7 on field goals and 1-2 from the free throw line.

He also had one assists, one steals, and seven huge blocks.

"Don't try it! I have the high ground!" pic.twitter.com/JDPNo0KTAU

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

Gobert posted a plus-17 rating during his 34 minutes on the court.

they keep driving on rudy …….. and he has 6 blocks pic.twitter.com/swC31Jfdm0

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

Game Flow

The Jazz have played eight games through the first 13 days of April and it showed against the Thunder.

Utah’s car struggled to get rolling to start the game and it ended the contest with the gas tank on empty.

OKC jumped out to an early lead and owned a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

🍇 @jstuntbrantley 🍇 pic.twitter.com/HGLR32g4dd

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

The Thunder held a 17-point advantage during the first half before a second quarter surge got the Jazz back into the game.

Utah took a two-point lead into the halftime break.

The Jazz blasted the Thunder during the third quarter and watched their lead balloon to 25 points in the second half.

During the fourth quarter, the Jazz were running on fumes and the Thunder cut their deficit to single digits in the final minutes.

However, the Jazz had enough in the tank to close out the final minutes and win by 10 points.

Two days off, then on to the next 🎵#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/z7yqWebApD

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

Utah Jazz

The Jazz finished the contest shooting 41.9 percent overall and 36.2 from beyond the three-point arc.

Utah had six players score in double figures, including all five starters.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored a team-high 23 points.

Donovan Mitchell poured in 22 points on 7-16 shooting.

Don from Draper pic.twitter.com/VVBeDdk7Wg

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

Mike Conley added 15 points and 14 assists.

solid start to the second half ↗️@MCONLEY10 x @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/y5a5zGi46w

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

Georges Niang started in place of Royce O’Neale and ended the game with his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

first career double-double for @georgesniang20 🥺 pic.twitter.com/UQmSdo7biD

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) April 14, 2021

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Jazz limited the Thunder to 39.1 percent shooting for the game, including 42.4 percent from downtown.

Lu Dort led Oklahoma City with a game-high 42 points.

☔️@luthebeast | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/Wve4Co12tU

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 14, 2021

Up Next

With the win, the Jazz improved their league-best record to 41-14, including 25-3 at home.

Utah’s next game is against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, April 16 at 1 p.m. (MDT). The game will broadcast on NBA TV, AT&T SportsNet, and 97.5 FM.