“It’s Emblematic Of What Our Team Has Been Doing” | Utah Dominates For Sixth-Straight Win | Utah Jazz

It’s been said that February is all about love — and the Utah Jazz couldn’t agree more.

After a tough January, the Jazz have been in a love affair with the schedule since the calendar flipped to February — and Monday night was more of the same. Utah jumped out to a 31-point lead in the first half and never looked back, beating Houston 135-101 for the sixth straight win.

“It’s emblematic of what our team has been doing,” head coach Quin Snyder said postgame. “Mike doesn’t have a good shooting night but has 10 assists. … I think Donovan with his balance, everybody is playing the right way and connected.”

Valentine’s Day is all about showing love to those you care about, so it was fitting that Rudy Gobert made his long-awaited return to the court on Monday night. A huge part of Utah’s success over the past couple of years, it didn’t take long for Gobert to reassert his dominance, and it came in the most perfect of ways.

On Utah’s second possession, fellow all-star Donovan Mitchell found Gobert under the hoop with a no-look pass. The three-time defensive player of the year took care of it from there, throwing down a thunderous two-handed dunk to ignite the Vivint crowd early on.

It was love at first dunk #TakeNote | @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/3YQTvEt0pb

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 15, 2022

Overall, it was a good night for Gobert after missing the past nine games with a left calf strain, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds. While those numbers are significantly below his season averages, his dominance on the court was still there as he finished with a +20 rating in just 22 minutes. 

“I felt strong, I feel great,” Gobert said postgame. “I did some pretty explosive movement without thinking about it. I didn’t have any extra pain.”

“He did the things he does for us. … It’s good to have him back,” Snyder said of Gobert.

Since coming back from his injury, Mitchell continued his recent tear, dropping a game-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 5-of-9 from three-point territory. But where he continues to see the most improvement in his game comes with his court vision and ability to execute the offense, adding seven assists and six rebounds.

| 30 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5-9 from three #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/zJZlDpD7vY

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 15, 2022

It’s rare that a player completely dominates a game despite shooting just 1-for-8 (0-for-6 from deep), but that’s what Mike Conley did against the Rockets. Despite finishing with just two points, he had 10 assists, four steals, three rebounds, and a +18 rating in 23 minutes. 

One of the premier shooters in the league — No. 10 entering Monday night in three-point percentage — there will not be many nights when Conley struggles from the floor. But regardless of his shooting, his ability to create and run the offense at such high efficiency opens up the floor for many others to thrive.

“I think it’s really important for the whole team to know that you have the ability to impact the game even if you’re not scoring,” Snyder said. “It’s easy to get caught up in scoring as the sole contribution to the game. … But when it’s not going down, what can you do to help the team win? Mike’s play tonight showed that.”

No bond is stronger than the Mike to Rudy oop #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/76OWuhERMF

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 15, 2022

With Gobert back in the lineup, the Jazz came out with renewed energy and focus. 

They jumped out to a 17-5 lead early on as Bojan Bogdanovic could not miss, scoring 11 points. The Rockets battled back to make it a six-point game, but the Jazz ended the quarter on a 10-4 run for the 36-24 lead.

Utah broke the game open in the second quarter, going on a 14-3 run to start as Jordan Clarkson and Eric Paschall each scored six points. A 9-3 run late in the second pushed the lead to 31, and they never looked back, leading 78-53 at the break.

With the comfortable lead, Utah’s focus on both ends of the court wasn’t where Snyder wanted it as they traded buckets with the Rockets, still leading 100-78 heading into the fourth.

The Rockets further cut into the deficit, making it an 18-point game with 7:15 to play. But the Jazz responded with an 18-3 run to put the game away for the victory.

| “Continue to stay relentless”#WalkoffInterview | @lhmauto pic.twitter.com/sUiHPKd8IF

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 15, 2022

Bogdanovic finished with 22 points and five rebounds, capping off an impressive performance from the starters in which they all finished with a +15 rating or better. Hassan Whiteside led a dominant effort from the bench with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks. Clarkson added 16 points and a team-high +25 rating in 26 minutes, while Paschall added 12 points.

Utah hits the road for the final game before the all-star break, facing LeBron James and the Lakers on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MST and will air on ESPN.