Houston • Partly because of his foul trouble during a critical stretch of a game the Jazz eventually lost, Utah center Rudy Gobert may have been the unofficial MVP of the team’s first-round playoff series vs. Oklahoma City, even given Donovan Mitchell’s exploits.
But Gobert was far less effective Sunday in the Jazz’s 110-96 loss to Houston in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Gobert finished with 11 points and nine rebounds in 35 minutes. Yet those numbers were aided considerably by a fourth-quarter push of nine points and four rebounds, when Houston led comfortably, and he didn’t block any shots.