Rudy Gobert’s debut was a success on Wednesday night as his performance led the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 115-108 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The question of how Gobert would fit into the Timberwolves’ offense was answered immediately as he was on the receiving end of an alley-oop from Karl-Anthony Towns in the first quarter.
KAT ALLEY-OOP TO RUDY 😱 pic.twitter.com/4uOIVJN6rL
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 20, 2022
Gobert, who was acquired for his abilities on the defensive end scored 23 points and pulled down 16 rebounds on the night and helped Minnesota build a 16-point lead in the second quarter.
After going into the locker room with a 65-52 lead at halftime, the Thunder began to make a comeback, using a 27-5 run to take a 79-78 lead with 3:01 to play in the third quarter.
From there, the Timberwolves’ effort wasn’t sexy but it was effective. Anthony Edwards shot just 4-of-17 from the floor with 11 points and seven assists on the night and Towns had 12 points and six rebounds and seven assists while shooting 2-of-10.
D’Angelo Russell scored 20 points and added five rebounds and Jaylen Nowell came off the bench with 13 points, but it was Gobert’s presence in the paint that helped the Timberwolves hang on for the opening night victory.
Rudy's feasting rn 🍽 pic.twitter.com/zdGVMZseyv
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 20, 2022
The Timberwolves will look to improve to 2-0 on the season when they host the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with the correct final score. We apologize for the error.
