Rudy Gobert’s block on Buddy Hield with 11.4 seconds to go and D’Angelo Russell’s 15 points in the fourth quarter helped the Minnesota Timberwolves earn a 121-115 victory on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Gobert rebounded nicely after being thrown out of Saturday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder for tripping Kenrich Williams. The center made an impact from the opening tip, scoring 16 points and pulling down 20 rebounds on the night but his biggest play came as the Timberwolves were holding onto a 117-115 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Held initially beat Gobert at the perimeter but Gobert recovered, swatting the ball off the backboard and getting the ball back to Minnesota.
It is impossible not to be over the moon happy for Rudy Gobert.
• 16 points
• 6/11 FG | 4/5 FT
• 20 rebounds
• 1 assist
• 2 steals
• 3 blocks
• Go-ahead FTs with 32.8 left
• Huge block on Hield with 11.4 left
• Dunk to cap it offWhat a gamepic.twitter.com/L8tzAGIw2N
— Jack Borman (@jrborman13) December 8, 2022
Gobert’s heroics helped the Timberwolves avoid a major meltdown as they built a 21-point lead midway through the second quarter. The Pacers came back behind 26 points each from Tyrese Haliburton and Hield but the Timberwolves kept things close thanks to Russell.
Russell went off in the fourth quarter on his way to a team-high 28 points and Anthony Edwards put up 26 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and a career-high seven steals to help Minnesota come away with the victory.
The Timberwolves improved to 12-12 on the season with the win and will travel to Utah on Friday night.
