Durant puts Jazz in 3-0 hole by turning Gobert into defensive liability

The Utah Jazz win games because of their air-tight defense, and that entire scheme revolves around the unparalleled rim protection of Rudy Gobert.

But Kevin Durant flipped the whole equation Saturday. He turned a DPOY co-favorite into a total defensive liability as he dropped 38 points to help the Golden State Warriors to a 3-0 series lead.

Most teams duck Gobert at all costs, but the Warriors went out of their way to target the 7-footer. Durant would repeatedly screen with Gobert's man in the pick-and-roll and challenge him to guard out on the perimeter.

When Gobert sagged, Durant simply rose up for the jumper. Gobert was in decent position on this play, but Durant wasn't bothered one bit by Gobert's closeout thanks to his height. This shot in the fourth quarter ended any hope of a Jazz comeback:

When Gobert stepped up to eliminate the pullup jumper, Durant used his quickness and his handle to blow past the Stifle Tower and beat him to the basket. He's fairly quick and endlessly long, so he can typically recover, but Durant's height once again proved too difficult for Gobert to challenge - especially when he was put on his back foot.

Warriors acting head coach Mike Brown broke down the Durant-Gobert matchup after the game.

"Gobert is 7-feet, and when we spread somebody into a ball screen, especially with KD, that creates a bit of separation," Brown explained with a smile. "Gobert is doing what he's supposed to - he wants to protect the paint - so he's down the floor quite a bit and when we played pick and roll with KD.

"If whoever Gobert is guarding sets a solid screen, KD's gonna come off wide open, and KD can shoot from 25 feet, 20 feet, 17 feet, or get to the rim, it doesn't matter."

The Jazz played excellent defense on everyone else in Game 3. The Splash Brothers struggled with Utah's physicality and shot a combined 7-of-29 from the field. Limiting the Warriors to 102 points should be considered a massive accomplishment for the Jazz.

But any time the Warriors needed a bucket, they would return to the same play: Durant attacking Gobert. And whether it was the stop-and-pop jumper, dribbling to the mid-range for a fadeaway, the drive to the basket, or simple isolation, Durant turned Utah's greatest strength into its fatal weakness.

Just for good measure, KD gave Gobert a hearty shove toward the end of the fourth and left him with some choice words to go along with a third straight loss. It was that kind of night.