Team France took home another victory at the Olympics on Tuesday over Japan. In doing so, they won their second consecutive contest and guaranteed themselves a place in the knockout stage. Minnesota Timberwolves fans were no doubt thrilled to see Rudy Gobert put up another strong performance.
The big man poured in a team-high 15 rebounds to go along with seven points, three assists, two blocks and a steal as well. His massive presence around the rim was a big factor that ultimately led to France's 94-90 win over the Japanese national team.
With just over a minute left, Japan led 80-77 and it looked like they could potentially steal one. But France rallied, tying the game into overtime and giving themselves five more minutes to pull out a victory.
Gobert grabbed 11 rebounds in overtime
It was in the overtime period that Rudy's rebounding prowess truly shone the most. With the game hanging in the balance, Gobert asserted his dominance in the low post and grabbed 11 of his 15 boards in the additional frame of action, securing France's win and sending them to a 2-0 overall record.
Some were surprised to see Rudy not utilized quite as heavily in the game up until that point. But it became clear in the overtime period just what kind of advantage Gobert provided, and he completely swung the game in France's favor.
Team France's next contest will be Friday, August 2 at 2:00 PM CT against Germany, in their final game of the group phase.