5 topics as Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert pulls away from the Boston Celtics

Utah Jazz moved away from the Celtics on Tuesday, claiming a 117-109 victory to sweep the series of the season.

Here’s what happened.

The big picture

The Celtics remained competitive throughout the game and had several chances to draw or take the lead at the end of the fourth period, but Jazz had a lot of talent that performed very well in the second half.

Game star

Rudy Gobert: 16 points, 5 out of 6 on the field, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks.

Gobert’s line of statistics (in addition to blocked shots) was relatively pedestrian, but the Celtics looked terrified to drive against him. Here is an example: Kemba Walker took a defender out of position with his handle and created a streak for the basket that looked like this.

Kemba stepped back and did not attack this track for the arc, which is probably a Gobert thing, but it still looks like a missed opportunity to drop things. pic.twitter.com/RCOCNnyLTC

– Tom Westerholm (@Tom_NBA) March 17, 2021

Instead of driving to the edge and scoring or taking down the defense, Walker saw Gobert and tried to pass to Grant Williams on the other side of the court. Williams, however, started to cut and Walker threw the ball away.

Gobert’s value is difficult to fully quantify, but his defense kept the Celtics on their toes.

Why does it matter

No one will panic after a loss to Jazz, which is one of the best teams in the NBA, but the Celtics have been close to two contenders – Brooklyn and Utah – since the All-Star break, and in both games, Brooklyn and Utah just walked away like a business along the straight. The Celtics are now 1-2 at the break and are facing an incredibly difficult stage.

Apprenticeship

1 In the fourth period, the Celtics reduced Utah’s nine-point lead to one with five minutes remaining, shredding and shredding the baskets in the paint, where it significantly outperformed Utah.

Then, with three minutes left, Jazz buried two points out of 3 and immediately built the lead again. That was a big storyline for Tuesday’s game: the Celtics played solid two-way basketball, and Jazz just exploded from the 3-point gap and made up the difference. This is part of what makes Jazz so resilient: the movement of the ball sets up the 3-point pitch, which opens up the ground for Gobert’s pick-and-roll. The symbiotic relationship between Utah players is fun to watch (but probably not so much fun to play against).

“They are one of the best I’ve seen – and I said that before, when we played them there – in making the right decision every time,” said Brad Stevens after the game. “As good as I have seen in the NBA in my time, when it comes to a team when making the right decision.”

two In the final stretch, the Celtics let Robert Williams play a few important minutes, which was a new wrinkle. Williams has been playing very well recently and scored 14 points in the 7 out of 10 shot on Tuesday while pulling nine rebounds. It will be interesting to see if he continues to have minutes of critical time, especially if Tristan Thompson wastes any time on health and safety protocols.

3 The difference between the depth of Utah and that of Boston was stark – Jazz surpassed the Celtics by 45-21. Jordan Clarkson, who is a legitimate candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year, lost 20 points, while Bojan Bogdanovic scored 12. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart was far away – five points from a 2-in-10 shot.

Expect the demands to intensify so that Danny Ainge finds some help for beginners in the second unit.

4 Semi Ojeleye was added to the starting lineup to replace Thompson, but could not find the break. Ojeleye played 19 minutes and ended with zero points without a goal attempt. He also made a bad foul, closing very close to Donovan Mitchell and giving Jazz three kicks and the ball in a blatant call of foul.

How the Celtics will address Thompson’s absence will be interesting, but Ojeleye can be a party or starvation option.

5 Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell are good friends, which made this interaction very funny.

Very hilarious interaction here between Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell: pic.twitter.com/xIx2pm7uIp

– Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) March 17, 2021

To put it in context: Brown had just dropped Mitchell to the floor with a dribbling motion when he reached for the bottom tap.