No one will blame Rudy Gobert if he feels aggrieved after Wednesday night.
The Utah Jazz center fell into foul trouble during his team’s 107-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series, and as The Salt Lake Tribune’s Kyle Goon point out, Gobert’s extended stint on the bench was among the biggest reasons for the defeat.
The Jazz were leading by 21 points with 9:23 remaining in the third quarter when Gobert, one of the NBA’s elite defensive players, was whistled for a so-called “ghost foul” on Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony. Gobert returned to the court later in the third quarter, but referees called a fifth foul on him with 3:46 left in the period.
Gobert played a total of just 12 minutes in the second half, and the Thunder capitalized on his absence, scoring 79 points in the two periods in an astonishing rally that turned what would have been a blowout loss into stirring victory.
“It’s different without the big fella back there,” Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell said about Gobert’s foul trouble, per Goon. “But even so, it’s hard to put all the pressure on him.”
One need not be a mathematician or basketball expert to find value in Mitchell’s insights.
