By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Rudy Gobert shied away from directly addressing the ranking of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season. To ‘focus on winning’ each game is the preference of the French center before checking the standings.
“If we win, I am happy,” he noted after posting a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double in a winning effort opposite the Portland Trail Blazers in Moda Center on Tuesday.
The team coached by Chris Finch jumped to 38-16, creating a one-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference table. The Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets are two games away from the top. A battle for homecourt advantage in the 2024 Playoffs is on, heading down the stretch of the Regular Season.
“The standings matter but you do not want to be looking at the standings too much,” explained Gobert, “You want to focus on the daily work. Focus on two days of working out, and two days of practice, focus on your recovery. And then when it is game time, just focus on winning.”
“When it is all said and done, hopefully, we want to get homecourt advantage for the whole playoffs, at least for the Western Conference. Then you look at the rankings,” he added.
One game is left before the All-Star break, a rematch against the Blazers in Portland on Thursday. Resuming action, a seven-game homestand lasting until early March sets up a potential opportunity to break away in the standings.
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