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CLEVELAND — There have been presupposed to be two representatives from the Utah Jazz on Sunday night time on the 2022 NBA All-Star Sport, however heart Rudy Gobert ended up being the lone Jazz participant within the NBA’s annual showcase sport.
Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have been each chosen by NBA coaches as All-Star reserves for the third consecutive season however Mitchell couldn’t play within the sport because of an sickness.
Gobert did his finest to make a splash throughout the sport by exhibiting off his spin strikes, and dunking prowess however the heart solely performed 12 minutes, 33 seconds and racked up six factors and 6 rebounds in his third All-Star look.
Gobert checked into the sport on the 3:49 mark of the of the primary quarter and stayed comparatively quiet for the primary jiffy, with a pair rebounds and a dunk off an help from Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine.
However within the second quarter, Gobert confirmed off some craftiness. On the break with Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray, Gobert ran the size of the ground and Murray dished him the ball within the paint. Slightly than simply go straight up with it, Gobert did a 360 earlier than flushing the dunk dwelling.
RUDY 360 ⭕
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 21, 2022
(Lol, @dwyanewade on the decision ️)#NBAAllStar | @rudygobert27pic.twitter.com/zGI4yV7XNE
“It was nice, he set me up completely,” Gobert stated. “I actually like his sport, he’s one of many gamers I actually like to look at.”
Gobert checked in for his second stint with 4:51 left to go within the third quarter, however later checked out unceremoniously as the sport turned a 3-point shootout, that includes the NBA’s best 3-point shooter of all time, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
It was earlier on Sunday that Mitchell introduced that he had a non-COVID associated sickness that will forestall him from attending the All-Star Sport, after having missed the All-Star follow session on Saturday as a result of he was feeling sick.
Although Mitchell was not capable of play, he was watching and was rightly impressed by the night time’s star of the present.
Oh my god steph ♂️
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) February 21, 2022
Curry scored a game-high 50 factors and earned All-Star Sport MVP honors and incomes his crew a victory as Group LeBron beat Group Durant, 163-160.
Not solely did Curry earn the night time’s highest honor, however he left Cleveland as the brand new holder of a laundry listing of All-Star data. Curry set new marks for essentially the most 3-pointers in an All-Star quarter (6), half (8), sport (16) and is now the chief in All-Star historical past for whole 3-pointers made (39). He got here simply shy of breaking Anthony Davis’ All-Star file of most factors scored within the sport — a mark Davis set in 2017 with 52 factors.
Gobert hoped so as to add his title to the listing of gamers who contributed to the 48 3-pointers made in Sunday’s sport, he by no means actually had a gap to get off a shot from past the arc.
“I didn’t get the prospect,” Gobert stated. “Subsequent time. In Utah it’ll be even higher.”
The night time in Cleveland was a star studded occasion that honored the league’s seventy fifth anniversary and 75 best gamers of all time. However there was additionally a nod to the longer term with Cleveland Cavaliers house owners Dan and Jennifer Gilbert passing a ceremonial ball to Utah Jazz house owners Ryan and Ashley Smith in a prerecorded video.
The Smiths, who have been in attendance on Sunday, additionally did a brief interview throughout the sport and stated that they will’t wait to point out off Salt Lake Metropolis and the encircling areas when the NBA’s 2023 All-Star Sport is hosted in Utah.