Minnesota Timberwolves: Player matchups vs. the Rockets

2. Taj Gibson vs. P.J. Tucker

Taj Gibson is the ultimate glue guy.

Seemingly every 50-50 ball, any opponent’s mistake, any defensive challenge, Gibson is there. He’s proven countless times that he’s played a major role in a lot Wolves victories.

Many people questioned the money he was given over the summer, but I think it’s safe to say that he’s earned every penny. He showed that again in Wednesday’s victory against the Denver Nuggets by playing huge defense down the stretch and cleaning up any loose ends of the game.

Nikola Jokic was killing Minnesota all game until Tom Thibodeau decided to switch things up and put Gibson on him. If Minnesota did that earlier, the game might not have been so close — though it made the game a lot more fun.

Gibson was banged up the last few games and there’s no definitive answer as to how healthy he really is at this point. We do know that he probably will be playing no matter how hurt he is, but it’s still something to keep an eye on this series.

Gibson will need to do that again in the playoffs if the Wolves want to win. Luckily, Tucker isn’t going to kill you as badly as some of the others on the team — at least offensively. He can shoot the ball from 3-point range, of course, which is pbviously a key part of Houston’s offense, but doesn’t do a whole lot else.

Tucker does play great defense, so nothing will come easy for Gibson. But we know Gibson finds ways to stay involved, including using his footwork down low to score in the post.

This won’t be a key matchup that everyone will be looking at, in fact, it might even be the only matchup we sleep on. Both of these guys don’t stand out as their counterparts, but their toughness and the small things they do will play a huge role in their teams success.