2023-04-26 09:09:30
Powerless, Rudy Gobert can only see defeat. There are thirteen seconds left in game 5 of the first round of the play-offs against Denver. The French pivot of the Minnesota Timberwolves has just taken his sixth personal foul, synonymous with exclusion. Anthony Edwards has the equalizer ball on the buzzer but misses the circle. Nikola Jokic and the Pistons win (112-109) and end the series (4-1). For Gobert, the title dream is gone.
The Timberwolves cracked in the dying moments when Jokic took charge, with 8 of his 28 points coming in the final 90 seconds. The reigning two-time MVP finished with a big triple-double (17 rebounds, 12 assists), with Jamal Murray being the most prolific with 35 points.
On the side of Minnesota, Anthony Edwards totals 29 points. Karl Anthony Towns (26 pts, 11 rebounds) and Gobert (16 points, 5 rebounds) also allowed their team to go the distance but the latter two joined the bench prematurely. A new setback for the pillar of the France team after his suspension in mid-April for having punched his teammate Kyle Anderson.
Very soon after the defeat, remarks were made to criticize Wolves’ transfer policy. You have to understand that the Wolves traded a large part of their players with Utah Jazz to bring in Rudy Gobert. A strategy that will not have paid off, at least this season.
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