Rudy Gobert had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-105 on Wednesday night with star Donovan Mitchell out with a sore back.
Portland’s Damian Lillard and Norman Powell each scored 32 points. The Trail Blazers were missing seven players in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols for the second straight game.
Utah’s dominance started on the inside and continued all night long, outscoring Portland 74-30 in the paint.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder praised the offensive improvement of Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
“You can credit Rudy Gobert with this, he’s been stronger with the ball,” Snyder said of his star big man, who was 8 for 10 from the field. “He’s been strong with the catch and then worrying about scoring after the catch. He’s also getting to the line more.”
