Kevin Durant praised Rudy Gobert as one of the best defensive players in the history of the game after the Wolves picked up a 120-95 win over the Suns in Game 1 of their first-round matchup.
“Rudy’s gotten (much) better at guarding perimeters, guarding posts, guarding the rim. So you can’t just throw ‘em in actions expecting them to just give in. I think we’ll be strategic with what we do and make the ball move, get stops, and go out and run as well. We’ve gotta be cautious of putting guys in actions and realizing they still have an all-world, Hall of Fame defensive player and guys around him that can guard the perimeter too.”
https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1781428764217426235
Durant was the only Suns player to have a successful offensive night against the Wolves in Game 1, putting up 31 points on 11-17 shooting. Devin Booker had a rough night that sank their offense, putting up just 18 points on 5-16 shooting. Bradley Beal was way too passive, getting an efficient 15 points but just taking 10 shots over the contest.
Gobert had 14 points and 16 rebounds, with no tallied steals or blocks. However, his defensive impact was second to none in this contest. After years of criticism about his inability to guard players on the perimeter and play a switch-heavy defense, Gobert successfully guarded the likes of Durant on the perimeter multiple times in this game.
Rudy Gobert perimeter defense on Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/PrZYu7Rb1y
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 20, 2024
He also had game-changing stops toward the latter half of the contest, forcing Durant to lose the ball by successfully poking a live dribble.
Wait a second, I was told Gobert can't do this? pic.twitter.com/47zAA1Cu9S
— Alex (@AlexHoops_) April 20, 2024
Durant is still a 7-footer, though everyone agrees he moves with the skill and grace of a guard. Gobert matching up with Durant makes sense, but he even had incredible plays while guarding Devin Booker.
damn pic.twitter.com/Upvy3ZrzbL
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 20, 2024
The Suns are in trouble if Gobert can hold up defensively outside the paint like this throughout this series. The Wolves went winless against the Suns in the regular season but are hoping to write a different story in the postseason.
Anthony Edwards Trash-Talked Kevin Durant During The Win
Durant was in a praiseful mood about Gobert after the game despite the outcome being horrible for the Suns. But the hooper in Durant is excited about what this series can bring, as indicated by his reaction to being trash-talked in front of millions by Anthony Edwards.
After Edwards hit a three while being guarded by Durant, he started yelling at the 36-year-old and calling him an ‘old as* n****.’ Durant was smiling during the interaction, relishing the competitiveness of someone who previously called Kevin his favorite player of all time.
Edwards put up 33 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the game, proving that he can lead the Wolves offensively to great success in the postseason. He will be looking to advance past the first round for the first time in his career, but the Suns won’t lie down easily. Durant is a former Finals MVP while Booker has led this team to a Finals before.
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