The Denver Nuggets' hopes of bouncing back in Game 2 of their NBA Playoffs clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves were shattered. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns made their opponents pick their poison every time. In every single instance, the Nikola Jokic-led squad kept choosing the most lethal choice. It's hard to believe that this squad is not even at the peak of their capabilities because Rudy Gobert has been sitting out.
Rudy Gobert was not present in the second game of this Nuggets-Timberwolves series. The newly-crowned four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner had to attend a big event in his family which is why he missed a game. No one can blame him because this was the birth of his child and he needed to be there. Nonetheless, he still expressed how proud he is of his teammates for taking the two-to-nothing NBA Playoffs series lead, via NBA on TNT.
“It was incredible. Obviously, as a competitor, you always want to be there for those types of games. I told the guys that the only potential thing that could make me miss a game was the birth of my son and it happened. So, I really wanted to be there for that and to support my partner. They did the job. They did it in incredible fashion defensively and offensively. The love that they show me, despite the distance, it was something that I'll never forget,” Rudy Gobert said.
There are high hopes that the Timberwolves are getting him back as the series heads to Minnesota. After all, he was still a key player in Game 1 of this NBA Playoffs series. Rudy Gobert knows how to deal with Nikola Jokic despite allowing the former Most Valuable Player to score 32 points. His defensive prowess which just got validated with yet another award will definitely be needed as Michael Malone and the rest of the Nuggets have definitely prepared in-game adjustments.
The Timberwolves' Stifle Tower
It was once a foregone conclusion that running Gobert alongside Karl-Anthony Towns was a problem. It was fairly evident in the first year of their tandem. But, Chris Finch has solved that conundrum and it looks like both of them are shining. The stretch big man gets to pop off for more than 40+ points at a time while the defensive-minded seven-footer gets to impact the other side of the floor.
In total, Gobert has been able to play 34.1 minutes for the Timberwolves. This is the most time he has seen on the court since his All-Star season back in the 2019-20 season. He knocks down 66.1% of his shots from all three levels of scoring to notch 14 points on a nightly basis. Not to mention, his defensive impact also nets him 2.1 blocks on average.
There has been a lot of growth for the Timberwolves and it started with these two big men co-existing. Now, they have the chance to sweep the Nuggets out of the NBA Playoffs. Hopefully, they don't collapse nor does anyone miss time due to an unfortunate injury.
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