After blowing a 13-point halftime lead, Utah trailed Minnesota by one entering the fourth quarter.
Playing shorthanded with Mike Conley and Joe Ingles out for the night, the Jazz faced an uphill climb against a team that swept them last season.
Even with the all-star Conley out resting, Utah still had two more all-star to turn to — and they showed up in a big way. Donovan Mitchell dropped 14 points in the fourth quarter, Rudy Gobert was dominant defensively, and the Jazz used a 22-0 fourth quarter run to beat Minnesota 120-108 on Friday night.
Here are five things to know following the win:
1.) All-Stars Take Over LateThere's are reasons why Mitchell is widely viewed as an elite top-15 player in the league, and Gobert is receiving serious MVP consideration near the midway point of the season.
Friday night against the pesky Timberwolves proved once again that when the Jazz needed them most, Mitchell and Gobert put on their capes and rose to the occasion.
Mitchell scored 14 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter, showcasing a deadly array of offensive moves that not even Pat Beverley could prevent.
In just 9:32 of action, Mitchell attacked the rim relentlessly by shooting 5-for-7 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. His ability to finish in the lane is unprecedented as he's able to use his strength, footwork, and explosiveness to make life difficult for whoever is attempting to guard him.
"I wanted 40," Mitchell said. "It's no secret that I wanted it. … But it didn't happen. If I make a free throw, there you go. … So that's really on me at that point."
With Mitchell taking care of the offense, Gobert provided all the defense to help limit the Timberwolves to just 33.3% shooting in the quarter.
He finished with eight rebounds and two blocks in the same 9:32 as Mitchell, with both finishing with a +22 rating in that time. Apart from the blocks, he altered multiple shots as Minnesota appeared afraid to challenge him at the rim, leading to four turnovers in the quarter.
It's a luxury to have all-stars on your team — but for head coach Quin Snyder, he also has cold-blooded killers when it matters most.
2.) Bojan Bogdanovic Plays BigIn his ninth year in the league, Bojan Bogdanovic had previously recorded one double-double in his career while playing for the Brooklyn Nets in 2016.
After Friday night's performance, Bogdanovic now has two double-doubles.
On a night when the Jazz desperately needed a secondary scorer to pair with Mitchell and another key rebounder to help out Gobert, Bogdanovic answered the bell both times. He finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and a +18 rating on the night.
Minnesota had no answer for his unique combination of size and shooting touch, as Bogdanovic was able to get his shot off at any moment. But his biggest shot of the night came in the fourth quarter, helping ignite the game-ending run.
"He always seems to hit a big three-pointer when we need it," Snyder said of Bogdanovic.
It's one thing to have three all-stars on your team — but it's quite another when the second-leading scorer isn't one of those all-stars. Good luck to those in Bogdanovic's way.
3.) Trent Forrest Plays Well In First Career StartWith Conley, Ingles, and Eric Paschall all out, Snyder would have to get creative with his starting lineup and ensuing substitutions.
Most coaches would probably promote Jordan Clarkson in that situation. After all, the reigning sixth man of the year could slot right in next to Mitchell in the starting backcourt and provide a nice scoring punch.
But Snyder isn't like most coaches.
Rather than go with the veteran, he started second-year guard Trent Forrest, who has made tremendous strides this season. Forrest's defensive capabilities allowed Mitchell to focus on his offense and keep Clarkson as the first guard off the bench for some much-needed scoring punch.
Although he finished with just four points in 21 minutes, he added three rebounds and three assists and played well with the starters. He showed the ability to run the offense efficiently, even attacking the rim in transition a few times and either attempting a shot or finding the open man.
"I'm very happy with Trent Forrest and what he did tonight," Mitchell said postgame.
While he's expected to return to a limited role once Conley and Ingles get back on the court, Forrest proved that he's capable of eating up essential minutes for the Jazz moving forward.
4.) Gobert Reminds Beverley Of His DefenseWhen these two teams met on Dec. 8, much talk postgame wasn't about Utah's resounding 32-point victory. Instead, it was about comments made by Beverley and sophomore sensation Anthony Edwards, both of whom chose to go after Gobert, unprompted.
"You got Rudy Gobert out there guarding (Jarred) Vanderbilt. … And every time I hear he's defensive player of the year. So, uh, whatever," Beverley said that night.
While those comments made waves throughout the league, Gobert shrugged them off and allowed his play to do the talking for him — and did he ever. Posting his third double-double in as many meetings with Minnesota, he finished with 14 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks, and a +23 rating on the night.
Although his four blocks helped demonstrate his defensive prowess, one particular block in the fourth quarter appeared to have more emotion and power behind it — especially considering who it came against.
When asked if the block meant more, considering it came against the very player who questioned his defensive capabilities, Gobert elected to take the high road — once again.
"I had emotion. … I always play with a bit of emotion," Gobert said of his reaction. "It was a good moment. It was a key moment of the game. … We were playing great and making a run. So, yeah, just a cool block. I think if it would have been anybody else, I would have reacted the same."
5.) What A Way To Start The New YearThe No. 1 offense vs. the No. 1 defense. The best three-point shooting team in the game against the best three-point shooter the game has ever seen. Two MVP candidates going head-to-head.
What more could someone want?
That's exactly what fans will be treated to on New Year's Day when Utah hosts Golden State in what very well could be a future playoff showdown.
"They're the top team in the West right now," Gobert said of Golden State. "It's a cool challenge for us."
While Conley and Ingles are both expected back for the game, the Warriors will be without key players in Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and James Wiseman, all of whom are expected back at some point in January. But they still have Steph Curry, widely considered the MVP frontrunner, to make for a sensational showdown with Mitchell.
"They've had some time to kind of study us and load up on us and rest a little bit with their game being postponed," Mitchell said. "We've got to come out with the energy because they're going to have it, they're going to have the juice. Steph is playing at an all-time level…all those guys are really playing at a high level."