“Don’t Think We Deserved to Win”: Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert’s Harsh Utah Jazz Assessment After Nearly Losing vs. Rockets

Posted on by Jack Marks

The Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets 132-127 in overtime, thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s 37 points and Mike Conley’s nine points in overtime. The Jazz won their third straight game and ninth in their past ten games, led by Rudy Gobert’s 27 points and 17 rebounds. The Rockets’ 11-game losing streak was extended by Jalen Green’s 27 points and Christian Wood’s 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Mike Conley deserves credit for the Jazz’s victory. Conley, who had trouble with his shot for much of the night, sank three huge 3-pointers late in the game to help the Jazz win 132-127.

Donovan Mitchell

Except for Donovan Mitchell’s 37 points and 10 assists, the Jazz appeared to be operating at half-speed for the majority of the game. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, both All-Stars, were unsatisfied with their performance.

Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert’s comments after Utah Jazz victory

“It feels good to come out of here with a win, but we’ve gotta find a way not to give up an 18-point lead,” Mitchell said according to Eric Walden.

However, Rudy Gobert was a bit hard with his assessment of the win. The Frenchman said they didn’t deserve to win because of their performance in the fourth quarter when the Rockets outscored them 34-24 to force OT.

Rudy Gobert

“The way we played, I don’t think we deserved to win the game. So it was nice to get a chance to redeem ourselves in overtime,” Gobert said.

Of course, a win is still a win, and the Jazz should be pleased with their achievement. With the regular season coming to an end and the playoffs approaching, Utah should have been playing better now and preparing for the postseason. They didn’t perform at the level they wanted to at this juncture in the campaign on Tuesday.

While Mitchell was relieved that they won 132-127, he made it clear to the rest of the Jazz that they should never throw away a big lead again. They were lucky against the Rockets, but that won’t be the case in the future.