“This Was A Significant Win For Us” | Clutch Fourth Quarter Leads To Big-Time Victory | Utah Jazz

Before Friday’s game against Dallas, Donovan Mitchell said the Jazz understood their situation. A rough January left the team lower in the standings than they’re accustomed too — and when combined with struggles of consistency, Utah wasn’t performing at the levels expected.

“I think for us, we’ve got some work to do,” Mitchell said on Thursday. “We know that, and you can tell with everybody’s purpose and movements. … Guys are ready to go. We got to go out there and find ways to win and compete at the highest level.”

Against Dallas on Friday, the Jazz proved Mitchell correct.

Struggling to contain the Mavericks’ hot shooting for the majority of the night, Utah found a way to win with stealer defense and timely offense. The duo of Rudy Gobert and Mitchell lived up to their all-star selections and completely dominated late in the fourth quarter as Utah rallied from an early deficit to win 114-109.

Good team win #ontothenextone

— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) February 26, 2022

“This was a significant win for us,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “I thought, particularly with those two guys (Mitchell and Gobert), what we saw from them, just the sacrifices that all of our guys made at various times in the game for the greater good. … I was really happy with our effort against a team that’s as good as anybody in the league right now.”

Among those sacrifices Snyder was talking about came from Mitchell and Gobert.

One of the elite scorers and one-on-one players in the league, Mitchell found himself in a distributing role late in the game, leading to the clutch buckets. Gobert, the best and most feared rim protector of the last decade, found himself far from the rim and defending all-NBA guard Luka Doncic on the perimeter when it mattered most.

Despite both players being out of their comfort zones, they thrived under pressure.

“It looked really good, it felt really good,” Mitchell said of he and Gobert’s performance. “When you narrow it down, we did what we were supposed to do.”

Down two with just over two minutes to play, Mitchell took over as the primary contributor despite having a game-high 33 points. His penetration, ability to dissect the defense, and pass out of double teams led to a 7-0 run as Utah put the game away.

Can we get a for that Big Babo three in the clutch???#TakeNote | @44bojan pic.twitter.com/CpHqCVG7mO

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022

For Gobert, there’s been a lot of talk about how he can’t defend on the perimeter — even if the numbers have always been slightly in his favor. Not only did Gobert prove once again what he’s capable of, but it also came against one of the best players in the game against Doncic.

After Doncic hit a three-pointer with just over three minutes to give the Mavericks a two-point lead, he went 0-for-5 from the floor the rest of the way — and Gobert played a large part in that.

He not only blocked one of Doncic’s shots, but he also defended him on four of the possessions where he missed shots, forcing Doncic into tough contested shots.

“The numbers have been in my favor. … The perception has never matched the numbers,” Gobert said. “It was a physical game, but Luka always pushes. So if they’re not going to call that, then they shouldn’t call anything else. I didn’t think there was enough contact to call a foul.”

“He (Luka) knows I’m trying to take away his stepback,” Gobert added. “Then he’s driving and I know he’s going to try to use my body and then stop, so I’ve got to stay balanced and absorb the contact. Then he’s going to try and get me in the air, so I’ve got to stay down.”

LOUD NOISES pic.twitter.com/OTZxwaET3D

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022

After saying he believed the Jazz needed to find a way to compete at the highest level, Mitchell did just that in the showdown with Doncic. Not only did he drop 33 points, he shot 11-for-19 from the floor and 7-of-12 from three-point territory, a season-high in makes from beyond the arc.

Gobert also followed suit, notching his first double-double since Jan. 23 when he finished with 14 points and 17 rebounds. He added three blocks and two assists, showcasing the sort of overall play that proves he will be a problem on both ends of the court as the season goes on.

| @spidadmitchell: 33 points, 7 3pm, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal #TakeNote | @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/3yGG6jv3yt

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022

With just 2.5 games separating these two teams in the standings, the game was as close as expected for two playoff teams vying for positioning.

The Mavericks came out hot to start, leading 9-2 early on before Mitchell knocked down his first three-pointer. After climbing back to trail by two, Utah used a quick 6-0 run to take the four-point lead — but Dallas responded with its own 9-2 run to lead 34-31 after one.

The second quarter was a battle of runs. Every time the Mavericks appeared poised to pull away, the Jazz found a way to close the gap. Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson combined for 15 points as Utah found itself trailing 67-60 at the break.

Whatever adjustments were made at the half — notably how Utah defended the pick-and-roll with Doncic — worked. Cutting the deficit to four late in the third, the Jazz used a 9-1 run to lead 89-86 at the end of the quarter.

As expected, the fourth quarter was a slugfest as the teams exchanged leads four separate times, including three times they were tied up. But thanks to the play of Mitchell and Gobert, it was Utah on both ends of the court that won out in the end.

“Sometimes you get better at the end of the game,” Snyder said. “It’s kind of what we were saying about learning from each game. … We talked about it yesterday. Just fundamentally, I thought we were really focused tonight.”

sealed with a KISS pic.twitter.com/6sm8MLap0w

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022

Despite an off night shooting the ball from beyond the arc, Bojan Bogdanovic finished with 18 points and hit the game’s biggest shot when he knocked down a corner three-pointer 1:29 to play that put Utah up for good.

Mike Conley added 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while Royce O’Neale finished with nine points, four rebounds, four assists, and great defense on Doncic. Clarkson added 13 points off the bench.

Doncic finished with 23 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds but shot just 8-for-24 from the field, 3-for-9 from three-point territory, and four turnovers.

#TakeNote | @rudygobert27 pic.twitter.com/KzjFw7NT2W

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 26, 2022

Utah begins its five-game road trip on Sunday when it faces Phoenix and its best record in the NBA. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MST on ABC.