The Minnesota Timberwolves fell in a 113-104 overtime clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. While it was all smiles and congratulations on the Cavs side, the same could not be said for the Timberwolves players, especially Rudy Gobert.
During the fourth quarter, Minnesota clung to a one-point lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. Gobert was then called for his sixth personal foul following a rebound battle…and then everything went downhill.
Gobert didn't take kindly to the whistle, making a money gesture with his hands in reference to the officials. Spotted by one of the referees, the big man was called for a technical foul, granting the Cavs a charity stripe opportunity.
Unluckily for Gobert and the Timberwolves, Cleveland guard Darius Garland would sink that game-tying free throw, resulting in overtime.
Following the game, assistant coach Micah Nori called Gobert's costly action “unacceptable.”
“And then down the stretch, you give yourself a chance,” Nori said, per Bally Sports North. “We're up, 97-96, we've got to be better. A technical foul with 27 seconds to go in the game quite honestly is unacceptable.”
Still, Nori also defended Gobert's character.
“That's not who Rudy is but at the end, we've just got to be smarter,” the coach added.
"I don't know if it was legs in a back-to-back … We've gotta find some guys that are going to knock it down."
Fill-in coach Micah Nori talks about Minnesota struggling from 3-point land outside of Naz Reid, who was 7-for-11 from deep. #RaisedByWolves pic.twitter.com/M94mbhz7MX
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) March 9, 2024
During overtime, the Timberwolves had no answer to Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, who both combined for all the Cavs' points in extra minutes.
Rudy Gobert finished with 17 rebounds and seven points for the Timberwolves while Naz Reid spearheaded the offense with 37 points, which included seven makes from downtown.
Nori filled in for head coach Chris Finch prior to tip-off due to the latter not feeling well. The Timberwolves look to bounce back when they visit the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
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