Jazz rip Rockets behind Gobert’s double-double, remain perfect
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz dunks the ball ahead of defender Daniel Theis #27 of the Houston Rockets during the first half at Toyota Center on October 28, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP
Rudy Gobert posted his fourth double-double in as many games and the visiting Utah Jazz remained unbeaten with a 122-91 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday.
Gobert paired 16 points with 14 rebounds while logging 28 minutes for Utah, which led by as many as 36 points in the second half.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points, Jordan Clarkson had 16 and Donovan Mitchell chipped in 15 to underscore another balanced attack for the Jazz. Utah placed seven in double figures in points.
Christian Wood scored 16 points and grabbed seven boards for the Rockets, who shot 32.6 percent overall while missing 35 of 44 3-point attempts. Rookie Jalen Green scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half and was alone in double figures for Houston prior to the break. He shot 3 of 16 overall.
📹| Jazz bring home a win from Houston 🚀#podiumpostgame | @PodiumHQ pic.twitter.com/u4lK07TDGH
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) October 29, 2021
Mitchell ignited the methodical extension of the lead for Utah with his three-point play at the 3:45 mark of the first quarter. He answered a 3-pointer from Rockets rookie Alperen Sengun that had pulled Houston to within 19-16 and keyed a 13-2 Jazz rally that closed the opening frame. Joe Ingles (14 points) had five consecutive points during the run, one that continued in the second.
Utah tacked on a 12-2 surge in the second in pushing to a 44-24 advantage. Clarkson started the rally with a 3-pointer and Ingles concluded it with a trey at the 8:02 mark. In the interim, Eric Paschall followed his three-point play with a 3-pointer to keep the Jazz rolling.
The Rockets, undone by their poor shooting, could do little to stem the tide. When Utah moved to its largest lead of the first half at 54-28, the Rockets were 3-for-18 from behind the arc.
Houston managed to shave five points off that deficit by the intermission but closed the half having missed 20 of 23 3-point tries. The Jazz and Rockets recorded the same number of shot attempts prior to the break, 42, but Utah finished plus-10 in made baskets en route to a 61-40 lead.
When Mitchell drilled a 3-pointer with 6:25 left in the third, the Jazz had their first 30-point lead at 86-54.
Utah is 4-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
