By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It was only fitting in a game in which Rudy Gobert had a stellar defensive perfomance that in the end, defense decided the outcome.
With Utah being up by one (109-108) Cleveland had the ball but Darius Garland missed a long three and in the paint, neither Jarret Allen or Even Mobley who tried for the tip in couldn’t save the day.
It wasn’t easy against French big man Rudy Gobert who finished the game with just six points, but also with 20 rebounds and five blocks, including big plays down the stretch like this poster on Jarrett Allen.
That’s art pic.twitter.com/NoOwcuqPlH
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) December 5, 2021
Donovan Mitchell with 35 points provided the main firepower for the winning side, while Croatian forward Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 points.
Garland scored 31 points for the losing side, Allen (17 p. 11 r.) and Mobley (14 p. 12 r.) had double-doubles, but it was the duo of Turk forward Cedi Osman (11 p., 5 r. 4 as.) and Spaniard Ricky Rubio (15 p. 4 r. 2 as.) that sparked the come-back from 15-points down to a thrilling finish.
With this win Utah remains third in the West (16-7). while Cleveland dropped to the 7th spot of the East (13-11).