Rudy Gobert had a great Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets. He scored 17 points on 8-9 shooting, and more importantly, was extremely active and aggressive when defending Nuggets megastar Nikola Jokic. He stood his ground, contested shots, and kept Jokic from dominating the paint like he usually does.
Jokic still finished the game with a 25-point triple-double on 57% shooting from the field and the Nuggets won by double-digits. It's tough to see that result when it felt like the gameplan against Jokic mostly worked. He's simply unstoppable.
The Wolves aren't the first team to deal with this problem, and they surely won't be the last. Stopping Nikola Jokic is the single hardest task in the NBA. If a team with a four-time DPOY can't do it, no one can (and no one can).
But it's not like Jokic neutralized Gobert's impact; Rudy did make life hard for Jokic, there is just simply no way to completely remove Jokic from the Nuggets' gameplan. He pretty much can't be denied the ball because he's so massive, and then cutting off all driving lanes or shooting opportunities does nothing to stop his actual best trait, his playmaking.
Rudy Gobert will have to be superhuman all series long
This isn't all doom-and-gloom; Game 1s are always about feeling out the opponent. Plus, Anthony Edwards looked pretty spry and will score more as the series progresses,
And his teammates believe he can be. After the game, Jaden McDaniels praised Gobert, and claiming that, if this is the Gobert the Wolves get all series, they will win. Not might or could win... Will win. It's always good to see guys have their teammates backs, and Wolves fans would obviously rather see their team stay confident then be down in the dumps after a Game 1 loss.
Jaden McDaniels on Rudy Gobert: “if he plays like that, we’re going to win (the series).”
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) April 18, 2026
Rudy Gobert's effort against Jokic in Game 1 was valiant. He can't really be asked to do anything else; if he plays like this and the Wolves still fall in the series, there might be nothing else to do but shake Jokic's hand. In the meantime, the Timberwolves have a chance to tie the series up after taking a body blow in Denver.
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