The Minnesota Timberwolves got even in their series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday evening with a narrow road win in comeback fashion. This game was a back and forth contest throughout, but ultimately, the Timberwolves’ defense ended up taking things over down the stretch and tying up the series at 1-1.
Rudy Gobert has done an admirable job of keeping Nikola Jokic in check this series, further cementing the fact that he was snubbed from being a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award, which went to Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, a newly unearthed stat has showcased just how special Gobert has been on that side of the ball this year for the Timberwolves.
“31 players defended 200+ isolations this year. Rudy Gobert ranked #1, allowing 0.77 points per iso. Evan Mobley was 3rd & Bam Adebayo was 5th to give some context for the company he’s in. Gobert a more complete, dominant defender now than when he won his 3 DPOY in ’18, ’19 & ’21,” reported Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports on X, formerly Twitter.
Gobert has long been lauded for his ability as a defender, dating back to his days as the anchor of the paint for the Utah Jazz, but that hasn’t stopped him from being the target of criticism from fans and players alike, which is still one of the more bizarre trends in recent NBA history.
However, Gobert has proven through two games of the Denver series that he is just as valuable as ever, helping keep Jokic under control and forcing several difficult shots down the stretch of Game 2.
The Nuggets will look to hop in the driver’s seat of the series when they hit the floor for Game 3 on Thursday evening from Minnesota.
The Minnesota Timberwolves got even in their series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday evening with a narrow road win in comeback fashion. This game was a back and forth contest throughout, but ultimately, the Timberwolves’ defense ended up taking things over down the stretch and tying up the series at 1-1.