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Almost two hours after the Jazz completed a stirring comeback 105-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, a gray Range Rover leaving Vivint Smart Home Arena stopped when surrounded by autograph seekers.

Then, a weary Rudy Gobert rolled his window down, smiled, put his car in park, and signed every last T-Shirt. For the Jazz, Gobert's gesture — he certainly didn't have to accommodate autograph seekers as the clock neared midnight — was the final highlight in a night that was full of them.

As it turns out, Gobert's hyperextended knee kept him sidelined for only eight days. Typically, it's a two-week injury, and certainly an ailment that threatened the Jazz's prospects in their first round playoff series against the Clippers.

But those eight days? They felt like the longest of Gobert's life.

"There had to be a lot of trust involved," Gobert said. "I had to tell them if I felt any pain in my knee. They had to trust me that I was able to play without injuring myself again."

Gobert played 24 minutes In Sunday's victory, and he looked like his old self, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He provided a defensive deterrent against the Clippers at the rim, blocking two shots. He provided gravity offensively, rolling to the rim, unleashing several dunks. Most importantly, for the first time in the series, Clippers center DeAndre Jordan didn't dominate. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds, but wasn't nearly the force in the paint he had been in the first three games.

"I was giving everything I could," Gobert said. "I was feeling good. I just missed a week and the knee still can be pretty tight, but it's getting way better. I'm stable and strong. I'm not thinking about the knee when I play. I'm just playing."

The road back was exhaustive for Gobert, if not shorter than expected. There was initial relief that his injury wasn't worse. There was physical therapy. Gobert spent a lot of time convincing the Jazz he was able to return for Game 4. There were 2-on-2 halfcourt games, sessions designed for Gobert to prove to the Jazz he was improving.

At the end of the day, Gobert's urgency centered on returning to the lineup as fast as possible. He felt as if he owed it to his teammates to return to the lineup, and not miss the series. As he sat on the bench watching Games 2 and 3, every Jordan dunk, every Chris Paul layup rankled him.

"Just his presence alone, I don't think he understands, his presence alone is great for us," Jazz forward Joe Johnson said. "He's a walking double-double. He comes out, he gobbles the ball and rebounds and also blocks shots. Defensively, he's our defensive anchor. Obviously, without him, it was tough."

As good as Gobert was in limited time Sunday, the Jazz don't win without Derrick Favors, who played the other 24 minutes at the center spot. To anyone who saw Favors in Game 3 — where he simply hit a fatigue wall in the fourth quarter — his turnaround was remarkable. He scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. He came up with two steals, was explosive around the rim all evening and was a +12 off the bench.

More encouraging, Favors turned it around as a defensive presence in the lane. When the Jazz rallied in the fourth quarter around Johnson's offensive heroics, the Jazz were able to get stops down the stretch because Favors defensively rotated brilliantly, rebounded the ball and forced Jordan to work for everything he was able to get.

Favors looked like the old Favors.

"It helped a lot to see some shots go in early," Favors said. "Especially after last game, when I didn't play well. I was able to get some good looks early and get going a bit. I was making plays. For me, I just wanted to play better than I did the last game."

Gobert's presence, as the series moves to Los Angeles for Tuesday night's Game 5 at Staples Center, could prove to be a game-changer. The Clippers were able to win two straight games in large part because of Jordan's dominance in the lane. Without Gobert, the Jazz had no answer for his length and athleticism.

That changed Sunday. The Jazz won the rebounding battle for the first time in the series. The Jazz also outscored the Clippers in the paint for the first time in the series.

Gobert and a rejuvenated Favors also made things difficult for Chris Paul. The Clippers point guard was still great, scoring 27 points, handing out 12 assists and grabbing nine rebounds. But the open lanes to the hoop he enjoyed for three games were largely not there. The Jazz forced him to shoot under 50 percent (10-of-21) from the field for the first time in the series. And he didn't dominate in the fourth quarter.

"Rudy is the defensive player of the year, in my opinion," Utah guard Rodney Hood said. "He's been doing this all year. So just having his presence out there, that was big for us."