Minnesota Timberwolves won the first game of the semifinal series against the reigning champions Denver Nuggets with Rudy Gobert at the center providing support for the Wolves from both on and off the court. However, he couldn’t be present in the second battle between the two teams due to personal reasons, and former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas was infuriated by it.
The 3-time DPOY winner missed the game as he wanted to be with his wife, who had given birth to their first child, but that didn’t seem fair to Arenas. Recently, while discussing Gobert’s absence on his podcast, Agent Zero said, “It’s a baby, bro. It’s gonna be there when you get back… Whatever you think you about to do with the baby, he’s gonna be asleep.”
Arenas further added, “I get that you wanna be with your wife and smile and stuff, [but] your good NBA healthcare insurance is because of you playing.”
The Wolves center did not contribute much offensively in the previous game against the Nuggets. Still, it chipped in 6 points while grabbing 13 rebounds, distributing 3 assists, nabbing a steal, and blocking thrice, but did his part in suffocating Nikola Jokic. However, the Minnesota squad didn’t require Gobert in Game 2 to hold back the Nuggets.
Timberwolves Win Without Rudy Gobert
The Timberwolves had established supremacy quite early from the opening quarter of the game and by half they took a 26-point lead, giving the Nuggets minimal opportunity to catch up. Entering into the latter half, the Denver players did show some spark, but covering the massive point deficit looked impossible.
In the final quarter, they gave up to the dominant Minnesota team who played extremely well both defensively and offensively and finished with a 106-80 victory on Monday night.
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The Nuggets struggled with shooting from behind the arc and could only successfully hit 9-of-30 shots on target and 29-of-83 from the field, while the Timberwolves shot 13-of-33 and 42-of-84 respectively.
In Gobert’s absence, Karl-Anthony Towns stepped up for the team and contributed on both ends with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Edwards dropped the same points, and Naz Reid, who got a few extra minutes to showcase his skills, added 14 points and 5 rebounds.
Nikola Jokic put up 16 points and rebounds each, coupled with 8 assists. Aaron Gordon added 20 points, but it wasn’t enough to knock the Timberwolves off their stride. With a 2-0 lead, the Wolves will meet the Nuggets on Friday at the Target Center, and hopefully, Gobert will be back with them to compound the Nuggets’ misery.
