The Utah Jazz were without Donovan Mitchell and Derrick Favors and it didn’t matter as they dominated the Dallas Mavericks 116 - 104.

So many players stepped up for the Jazz but the two that stood out the most were Jordan Clarkson and Rudy Gobert.

Clarkson was his flamethrower self in the first half scoring at will against the Mavericks first and second units and helped give the Jazz a 20+ point lead going into halftime. Clarkson has been an absolute revelation this season for the Jazz as he’s found a way to score in a myriad of efficient ways. He’s hitting threes at 39% for the season at high volume and those are pullup and spot ups. When the three isn’t there he’s getting within 10 feet of the basket and, with his unreal touch, is scoring at will. This scoring from Clarkson is making him the clear-cut favorite for sixth man of the year and he’s easily one of the big reasons the Jazz are a legit contender.

Do you think Shaq saw tonight? I hope he did because he would have seen a Rudy Gobert performance that shows why he’s arguably the best center in the league. Gobert doesn’t have a fluid collection of moves like Embiid nor does he have the same passing ability of Jokic. But it doesn’t matter. Gobert is the best defender on the planet and took the soul out of the Mavericks from the start. Tonight he showed craftiness and patience on his rolls to the rim and put up 29 points. He also shot 7/11 from the free throw line. When Gobert is efficient from the line, and the field, his offense is a big part of the Jazz’s efficient attack. It’s so fun to watch!

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Mike Conley continues to make a case for the all-star team. His pristine control of the offense while he’s on the floor is Stockton-esque and takes the Jazz offense to levels it hasn’t seen for a long time. His chemistry with Rudy shows in their much talked about league-leading plus minus. Utah is just toying with teams right now and so much of it centers around those Rudy Gobert/Mike Conley pick and rolls that are devastating everyone in the way.

The other player that deserves big praise tonight is Joe Ingles. Asked to start in the place of the concussed Donovan Mitchell, Ingles was on fire tonight from three.

Ingles was brilliant in the pick and roll and was a big reason Gobert feasted so much on the Mavericks. What a luxury for the Jazz to have someone like Ingles able to step in and be such a contributor.

MVP of the game

Rudy Gobert

Gobert was dominant from the moment he stepped on the floor to the moment he walked off just barely missing a 30-point night.

His line of 29 points, 20 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks and 1 asisst is pure silliness. This is the Gobert that Jazz fans know and love. Whether he puts up big numbers like he did tonight, or smaller ones in a grind-it-out win like they had last night against the New York Knicks, Gobert is always at the center of what makes the Jazz special.

He’s worth every dollar of that supermax and nights like tonight show why.