Rudy Gobert ended up getting the last laugh when the Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night. In the second quarter of the contest, Russell Westbrook and the Clippers’ bench mocked Gobert for airballing two free throws. They weren’t in a position to laugh at him at the end of the game, though, as Gobert hit four free throws in a row to secure the 109-105 win.
Russ & the Clippers bench erupting in laughter after Rudy Gobert airballed back-to-back FTS.
Gobert got the last laugh by making 4 straight FTS in the final MIN of the Wolves win that ended with Russ missing an open layup.
(Via @Hibzx, @Timberwolves)pic.twitter.com/7FBJHaF70x
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 15, 2024
Gobert also had a huge block on Kawhi Leonard late in the game and the icing on top for him would have been when Westbrook somehow missed an open layup in the closing stages. Some would say that was karma.
It was also rather interesting that Westbrook was mocking someone over free throws. He has airballed them in the past and is a terrible shooter from the line himself at 65.2% this season. This whole incident somewhat took away from what was a fine showing from the 35-year-old, as he had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 2 steals in the contest.
Gobert, meanwhile, had 15 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 blocks on the night. He was 3-10 from the line before that sequence and ended up being 7-14. With the win, the Timberwolves improved to 28-11 and sit atop the standings in the Western Conference.
Rudy Gobert On Potentially Winning Defensive Player Of The Year For The Fourth Time
The Frenchman has excelled on the defensive end this season and is a big reason why the Timberwolves are at the top. With how good he has been, Gobert was asked what it would mean to win Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time.
“When I wake up everyday, I wake up to be the best defensive player on the planet,” said Rudy. “That’s who I am, that’s who I’m gonna be. Obviously, it’s a team effort and I try to bring that energy to my team but it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s about being resilient, it’s about being persistent… a full NBA season has a lot of ups and downs but that reward of your dedication and work. Not just mine, but the work of the team.”
Well, the 31-year-old certainly isn’t downplaying how great he is on the defensive end. With Gobert anchoring their defense, the Timberwolves have a defensive rating of 108.4, which is the best in the NBA. No one else is particularly close, with the Philadelphia 76ers being second with a rating of 110.8.
If he and the Timberwolves keep this up, I think Gobert will win DPOY again. In the process, he would tie Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace as the players who have won it the most times.
It is incredible how things can change in a year or so in the NBA, as the Timberwolves had been put on blast from all corners after they traded for Gobert in 2022. The move did not seem to make a lot of sense, and they gave up a huge haul for him as well.
A disappointing first season even led to talk of it being one of the worst trades in NBA history. Well, Gobert, who is averaging 13.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game this season, has put all that talk to bed now.
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