The Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to be on their way to a big win in the playoff race when they went up double digits on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
The Lakers, however, got on a roll mid-way through the third quarter and went on to comfortably win the game 120-111. Afterward, Rudy Gobert pointed out the turning point of the game.
“I had the ball in my hands and I could’ve went and dunked it,” Gobert said. “But AD (Anthony Davis) was laying there. So I was like, that’s too ruthless, I’ll just pass it out. After that, it was just turnover after turnover. It was just a tough stretch.”
Gobert said the mess as AD went down was turning point:
"I had the ball in my hands and I couldve went and dunked it, but AD was laying there. So I was like, that’s too ruthless, I’ll just pass it out. After that it was just turnover after turnover. It was just a tough stretch."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 1, 2023
The Timberwolves were leading 76-68 with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter when Anthony Davis twisted his ankle after going up for a rebound. Gobert had a chance to dunk the ball then, but instead passed it to the perimeter.
Anthony Davis appeared to injure his ankle on this play, but stayed in the game after a timeout 🙏pic.twitter.com/fvr6keKtVw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 1, 2023
After he passed up that chance, the Timberwolves would only score two more points till the one-minute mark of the quarter, as the Lakers went on a 24-2 run. It wouldn’t be right to say that this sequence changed the game though, as the Timberwolves basically shot themselves in the foot repeatedly after this, with all their turnovers and missed shots.
They just collapsed on both ends of the court, as the Lakers won the second half 68-46. Gobert started the game well but just like the rest of the team, struggled in that second half and finished the night with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.
Rudy Gobert Has Been Making Some Wild Statements Off Late
Gobert has been quite frustrated off late as he clearly believes the Timberwolves have been on the wrong end of some refereeing decisions. After they lost to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, he claimed that the NBA is trying to help the Suns, Warriors, and Kings win games. Gobert felt it was obvious that the NBA was looking to help those teams win against the Timberwolves and he was promptly fined $25,000 by the league.
Gobert and the Timberwolves need to brush off all of that now and just focus on getting some wins. This was their second straight loss which dropped them to 39-39 on the season and they are now the ninth seed.
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