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SALT LAKE CITY — Three thoughts on the Jazz's 91-86 win over the Phoenix Suns from KSL.com's Utah Jazz beat writer, Andy Larsen.

1. Jazz lock down again defensively in fourth, thanks to Rudy Gobert

After allowing the Sixers to score just nine points in the fourth quarter Thursday, the Jazz allowed the Suns just 15 in the fourth Saturday night. This time, though, the Jazz needed nearly inch of that defensive effort, because they scored just 15 points as well without George Hill on the floor.

A whole lot of the credit for that defensive performance has to go to Rudy Gobert. And yeah, we talk about him nearly every game, so that shouldn't be a surprise. But Gobert legitimately intimidated the Suns inside. Check out this shot chart:

That's been a trend, because Gobert is absolutely, positively, the best rim protector in the league. You probably already believe this, but just in case you have to convince your DeAndre Jordan or Hassan Whiteside loving friends:

> Inspired by [@AlecBNathan](https://twitter.com/AlecBNathan), 27 have faced > 5 FGA per game at rim and allowed @rudygobert27 is biggest outlier imaginable: [pic.twitter.com/udJ5FA6khO](https://t.co/udJ5FA6khO) > > — NBA Math (@NBA\_Math) [December 31, 2016](https://twitter.com/NBA_Math/status/815267005397946368)

Gobert also did a nice job when he was isolated on the outside. The Suns did this a lot, where they drove to the rim on the pick and roll, forcing Gobert to guard the ballhandler. But because Gobert is so long, those ballhandlers didn't ever shoot or pass, just cycling out back to the 3-point line. But because Gobert is so long, and capable of moving a little bit, those usual isolation strategies don't work that well.

Rudy Gobert defends in space, and gets a block. pic.twitter.com/zNrhYmZJR0 — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 1, 2017

In the end, it's not too much to say that Gobert's defensive impact won the game for the Jazz.

2. Raul Neto plays surprise minutes surprisingly well

With George Hill not on the injury report coming into tonight, Raul Neto probably didn't think he was going to play much, if at all. Instead, he played 14 minutes, and was very solid during that time, scoring eight points and not turning the ball over during his time on the floor. He also played pretty excellent defense, and his +/- of +7 was second on the team.

"That's a tough situation to just get thrown into. I was very impressed with how he handled it, and the poise with which he played," Quin Snyder said. "That's probably about as difficult a game coming into as a point guard that you can find, because Bledsoe is so good at guarding the ball, and Ulis is too."

The Jazz have been reluctant to play Neto major minutes because the offense tends to stall somewhat when he's on the floor: he's not usually capable of breaking the paint and finishing plays, meaning that the Jazz don't get the easy layups or the catch-and-shoot threes that they want. But tonight, he was aggressive, as the points show. That zero turnovers number is really critical, as that's a potential differentiating factor from Mack, a high turnover guard.

Neto's also feistier on the defensive end, though less strong than Mack. Neto's probably better at staying with pick and rolls, though much less good inside. In the end, the Mack vs. Neto decision probably comes down to the opposition's personnel, but Neto at least started that conversation in a real way tonight.

3. George Hill leaves the game

Man, the Jazz can't seem to catch a break, can they? Just one game after George Hill returned from his injury, he had to leave the game thanks to this elbow from Alex Len in the first quarter.

George Hill gets Alex Len elbow, and a concussion: pic.twitter.com/qoDg8mIpf3 — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) January 1, 2017

It turns out that the elbow caused Hill's tooth to go through his lip, causing him to get 16 or 18 stitches (Snyder couldn't remember which). It also caused him to exhibit concussion-like symptoms, which means he'll go through the NBA's concussion protocol. That [protocol is](http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/with-al-horford-out-nba-concussion-protocol-explained):

A player in the concussion protocol program can’t return to the floor until the following:

He is without concussion-related symptoms at rest.

He has been evaluated by a physician.

He has successfully completed the NBA return-to-participation exertion protocol.

A team physician has discussed the return-to-participation process and decision with the Director of the NBA concussion program, Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher. It has to be 24 hours between the player being asymptomatic and completing the return-to-participation protocol. That three step return-to-participation exertion program is as follows: 1. The return to participation protocol involves several steps of increasing exertion – from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills. With each step, a player must be symptom free to move to the next step. If a player is not symptom free after a step, he stops until he is symptom free and begins again at the previous step of the protocol (i.e., the last step he passed without any symptoms). It’s important to note that there is no time frame to complete the protocol. Each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.



We'll keep a close eye on Hill's progress, because he's really critical to the Jazz's success. The Jazz are 11-10 without him and now 10-3 with him available, and six points better per 100 possessions on both offense and defense.

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