Things are clicking for the Minnesota Timberwolves right now. After taking down the Los Angeles Clippers at Target Center on Friday night, the Wolves have now won three games in a row following their dreadful six-game losing streak.
This marks the third time this season Minnesota has strung together at least three wins in a row, and doing it without Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup makes what the Wolves are accomplishing that much more impressive.
The Timberwolves’ recent hot streak just goes to show how much can change in a week. Not even seven days ago, they had blown a double-digit halftime lead to the bottom-dwelling Detroit Pistons to cap off 2022 with their worst loss of the season. Now, they are in great shape to push their winning streak even higher and get back into playoff position.
The biggest story of the Timberwolves’ win over the Clippers was Rudy Gobert. In a season where he has been heavily scrutinized, Gobert picked an excellent night to dominate and help lead Minnesota to victory.
Rudy Gobert’s monster night was the best of his Timberwolves career thus far
Rudy Gobert looked a lot more like the player that the Minnesota Timberwolves traded four first-round picks and three important role players for on Friday night. He exited the contest late in the fourth with 25 points, 21 rebounds, three blocks, and a plus/minus of 31, tied for the highest on the team.
His 25 points were tied for a season-high, and his 21 rebounds were the second-highest he has grabbed in a contest for the Timberwolves. Gobert notched his fifth game with at least three blocks this season, and his 20-point, 20-rebound outing was the ninth such performance of his decorated career.
Going forward, this is the type of performance the Timberwolves would be ecstatic to get from Gobert on a more regular basis. His 11-for-15 shooting night was indicative of how smoothly Minnesota’s offense can hum when he is dialed in. He still had his share of mistakes, but this was an A+ Gobert performance through and through.
If Rudy Gobert can turn up the pressure and dominate on the boards like this night in and night out, the Timberwolves will be much more likely to make noise in the Western Conference.