Gobert wears native France on his shoes, then helps Jazz past Hawks

By foxsports
Published

ATLANTA

France native Rudy Gobert wore his country's flag on his shoes and stood for its national anthem before Sunday night's game.

Then he did his best to put aside his emotions regarding the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday long enough to help the Utah Jazz end a losing streak.

Derrick Favors scored 23 points, Rodney Hood added 20 points and the Jazz beat the Atlanta Hawks 97-96 to end that three-game skid.

"I'm glad that the country is staying strong right now," Gobert said. "I tried to keep my focus on the court tonight, but it was on my mind."

Paul Millsap had a season-high 28 points for the Hawks but failed to hit the rim on a 3-point attempt in the final minute and missed a 12-footer at the buzzer.

"I got the look I wanted," Millsap said. "It just didn't go in. I guess it wasn't meant to be."

Atlanta has lost three of four. Point guard Jeff Teague sat out with a sore left ankle, leaving the Hawks without their second-leading scorer. Dennis Schroder finished with 11 points, nine assists and no turnovers in his absence.

Al Horford and Kent Bazemore each had 16 points for the Hawks. Horford's 3 with 33 seconds left made it 97-96. Favors missed a jumper on the next possession but grabbed the rebound from Millsap's miss to seal it.

"That wasn't luck," Favors said. "It was hard work, man. We made Millsap take a tough shot."

Alex Burks, whose runner gave Utah a seven-point lead with 2:20 remaining, added 18 points as a reserve. Favors and Hood combined for 32 points in the second half.

Gobert had a game-high 11 rebounds and 11 points. He played 38 minutes despite missing the last two games with a sprained left ankle.

"I was happy to see him play that way today, especially considering the circumstances," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "It was an emotional day for him."

GRIEVING WITH FRANCE

The Hawks also held a moment of silence and had a video display of the French flag at center court to acknowledge victims of the attacks before the game.

"That was great," Gobert said. "I appreciate that from the NBA. It shows that we're together."

TIP-INS

Jazz: Utah snapped an eight-game losing streak to Atlanta. The Jazz had dropped 11 of 12 in the series. ... Shot-clock violations caused three of Utah's 11 first-half turnovers. The Jazz had only six turnovers in the second half.

Hawks: G Tim Hardaway Jr., acquired from New York for a first-round pick on draft night, still hasn't played this season. With Teague sidelined, Hardaway was in uniform. He's dressed for seven games and has been on the inactive list five times. Coach Mike Budenholzer is hoping Hardaway, now in his third season, will improve his defense in practice. ... F Mike Scott didn't play for the first time this season.

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT

Budenholzer was back with the team after missing a loss Friday night in Boston because of his wife's undisclosed medical emergency. He is not publicly discussing Mary Beth Budenholzer's health status.

FINDING IDENTITY

The Jazz began the game ranked second overall in opponent scoring average. Snyder believes his team can get even better after finding "an identity last year on the defensive end." He credits the 6-foot-10, 265-pound Favors, now in his sixth season, with being able to step out when necessary and guard the perimeter.

UP NEXT

Jazz: Host Toronto on Wednesday night.

Hawks: Visit Brooklyn on Tuesday night.